GRAPHIC PICS of my day learning to caponize

[qajaqkelly]

North Carolina here, north of Raleigh. I will share what I know, and always up for a visitor to lend a hand or observe. Just bought 50 cockerels 1 day old. Looking forward to some tasty chicken next spring. Got some feelers out for some 4-6 week olds, but not in hand yet.

 

[zionjudah]

this has been a pretty popular thread for caponizing. Great info.
I have done quite a few now, and learned a hard lesson last week. I had about 35 set aside to caponize. We started around noon on Wednesday (because I get off early that day) and with a helper it took us about 3 hours set up, clean up and all BUT we lost about 5. Terrible percentage of loss. I have done several hundred by now for myself and friends combined and havent had that high of a mortality rate since the first ones i was learning on. But my brilliant helper figured out what we were doing that caused the problem.

We only cut from one side, their right side and have had great success. We go for the lower testicle first then the closer one. When done under the right conditions its much quicker, less stress on the bird and usually less blood, but I will say it took a lot of patience to learn how to get both from one side.
A few (5 to be exact) cockerels got out of the pen and my kids had to chase them to get them back in. We laughed at the fun they were having, especially when my wife jumped in to help. When caught they would bring it to me and we would strap it down to wait its turn. On my table I have two areas to strap them down so all a helper has to do is take one when im done and replace it with another while i move on to the next patient. A few just seemed to bleed so easy. I didn't even nick the artery, just moved the membrane around it and it would bleed, QUICKLY. later looking back we figured it was the ones that had gotten out, gotten chased and spiked their blood pressure up.
Even though they make look calm they were primed for an explosion. Let me make a huge suggestion: if you have to chase one, set it aside till the end to give it time to calm down. Even if it needs to wait an hour or two. its not worth loosing the chicken.
And for those that are saying "DUH!" yes i know im a little slow on the uptake, but hopefully this will help someone who didn't think about it.

 

[Kassaundra]

this has been a pretty popular thread for caponizing. Great info.
I have done quite a few now, and learned a hard lesson last week. I had about 35 set aside to caponize. We started around noon on Wednesday (because I get off early that day) and with a helper it took us about 3 hours set up, clean up and all BUT we lost about 5. Terrible percentage of loss. I have done several hundred by now for myself and friends combined and havent had that high of a mortality rate since the first ones i was learning on. But my brilliant helper figured out what we were doing that caused the problem.

We only cut from one side, their right side and have had great success. We go for the lower testicle first then the closer one. When done under the right conditions its much quicker, less stress on the bird and usually less blood, but I will say it took a lot of patience to learn how to get both from one side.
A few (5 to be exact) cockerels got out of the pen and my kids had to chase them to get them back in. We laughed at the fun they were having, especially when my wife jumped in to help. When caught they would bring it to me and we would strap it down to wait its turn. On my table I have two areas to strap them down so all a helper has to do is take one when im done and replace it with another while i move on to the next patient. A few just seemed to bleed so easy. I didn't even nick the artery, just moved the membrane around it and it would bleed, QUICKLY. later looking back we figured it was the ones that had gotten out, gotten chased and spiked their blood pressure up.
Even though they make look calm they were primed for an explosion. Let me make a huge suggestion: if you have to chase one, set it aside till the end to give it time to calm down. Even if it needs to wait an hour or two. its not worth loosing the chicken.
And for those that are saying "DUH!" yes i know im a little slow on the uptake, but hopefully this will help someone who didn't think about it.

We discovered a similar thing when my mentor was attempting to caponize her leghorns, a much flightier breed then she usually does, and even though they didn't escape and get chased to be recaught, they required much longer tie down time before starting the procedure. The first one she did just like any other of her birds and though he didn't die he had a much harder and longer recovery, the ones she allowed time in the tie down position to calm them from being handled did much better, but were still more "delicate" then normal LF birds.


We are still doing the caponizing day, it has been rescheduled to the 26th, we are trying the chinese caponizing tool set, and will report back how those compare and if they are worth getting. Some of the cockrels we are doing on that day will be a little older then usual, I hope to get some pictures during the procedure that may be clearer.

I will keep a photo diary of the outcome of those birds that of mine that are caponized here on this thread.

 

[Shellz]

I would be very interested to hear how things turn out. Thanks for starting this very informative thread Kassaundra!

 

[coyotesmommy]

Kassaundra are you doing it 26 of June or July ? Will it be in Henryetta Ok? If so may I attend I live in North TX. I have only 2 cockerels they will be just over 6 1/2 weeks 26th do you think that is too young? Oops never mind if it is June 26 that is Wednesday.

 

[Kassaundra]

Kassaundra are you doing it 26 of June or July ? Will it be in Henryetta Ok? If so may I attend I live in North TX. I have only 2 cockerels they will be just over 6 1/2 weeks 26th do you think that is too young? Oops never mind if it is June 26 that is Wednesday.

Yes it is June 26th tomorrow. I think 6.5 weeks is a great age. It will be in Haskell, OK at my mentor's this time. I have 11 very unhappy fasting boys right now, unhappy b/c they are kenneled and fasting. If you are able to arrange it you are welcome to come.

 

[coyotesmommy]

Darn it, if I had checked sooner I could have had my 2 fasting and gotten time off. maybe next time. Thank you very much though I really would like to try it. Tried it once and Chickened out (sorry for the pun )

 

[Kassaundra]

Darn it, if I had checked sooner I could have had my 2 fasting and gotten time off. maybe next time. Thank you very much though I really would like to try it. Tried it once and Chickened out (sorry for the pun )

Moral support definitely makes it easier, especially the first time or two.

 

[Kassaundra]

Today was a success, 11 boys taken 11 boys brought home 4 known slips. I'll post more later just got home and am tired.

 

[Kassaundra]

Still no new pics, it is much harder to get pics when you are actually doing the procedure, and I wasn't going to post anymore of the procedure unless I could get something better then already posted.

However did learn a few things, the Chinese tools are great, the retractor is amazing and worth getting the whole set just for it, the paddle thing in the tool set is also very useful as are the extractors, the eye tool w/ the thread neither my mentor nor I could figure out. She did have some success w/ the thread tool on a bigger bird, but couldn't reproduce the success on other large or small birds.

Have learned I am definately a two cut gal. Even w/ the Chinese tools and video, most of the time couldn't even see the lower teste, and never could extract at all from the one cut.

Learned that most of my birds have fully secured teste's (top, bottom and middle) is secured to the bird, this is a much more challenging extraction, and have no clue as to the difference has to be genetic though.

The fasting AND water restriction is important!!!! I did both on all birds 36 hour fast, 12 hour water restriction. However the day was very hot here and the procedures were taking a while so the birds were getting close to 20 hrs w/o water towards the end and I was beginning to worry b/c of the heat so I gave them water thinking it wouldn't make that much of a difference, IT DOES, don't do it. Either keep the candidates in more of temperature control or do fewer at a time.

The uncomplicated procedure is very close to bloodless loss, however some complecations can happen when you are opening the facia lining material it can snag and pull on something vascular (not sure what we couldn't locate what it was) especially if you are working close to an organ area. When this happens one of two things will happen, if the bleed is catastrophic there is nothing that can be done, however if it is just a bad bleed, allow the bird to rest in place w/o movement, give it a few minutes to see if it is a catastrophic bleed or not, if the bird survives the several minutes the blood in the cavity will start to clot. Sew the bird up and keep it quiet and still, do not procede on the procedure, if you continue the bird will bleed out, if you allow it to clot and the bird to recover, it likely will survive so you can attempt again if you want in several weeks or just allow it to be intact.

The Chinese way of restaining the bird is the secure only the top leg in the stretch not both legs, the bottom leg remains under the bird in a drawn up position, this really seems to help w/ visualizing what you need to see inside.

The Fm (dark fleshed ) birds are much much more challenging!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everyone is still alive today, not puffs yet. I had one I was worried for had quite a bit of blood loss, but did as stated above and he is fine. Two others done that day (not mine) we continued w/ the procedure and lost both on the table from bloodloss, but thier deaths were not in vain since we learned how to save others to follow.