GRAPHIC PICS of my day learning to caponize

[Gryphon]

Kizanne, while I think you're quite correct that pretty much everything described in this forum is FAR better than anything that happens to your standard store bought chicken, I can see why cutting open a living awake roo causes a strong respose of horror. I have to say I was pretty dubious about caponizing, especially when I kept hearing what a high death rate it has. It seemed far kinder and cleaner to just bleed them out and process them instead of submitting them to what sounds like vivisection, resulting in pain, shock, and likely infection.

I'm really happy to see this thread, and to see that it CAN be done cleanly with a very high sucess rate. I'm still a bit leery on just how painful cutting and fishing around in their body is, I'd like to see what studies have been done on their pain response and if there is an easy way to numb the area. (Ice, perhaps? It would also shrink down blood vessels, resulting in less blood loss.) You're right in that knocking them out is dangerous, birds don't react the same way we do to gasses, which is why I'm not surprised if other things are different about them like how/where they feel pain.

 

[kizanne]

I have no doubt they feel pain. I would also want to minimize that. Many smaller breeds though the cockrels are simply discarded at least with capons they can become useful meat birds.

 

[Kassaundra]

I have no doubt they feel pain. I would also want to minimize that. Many smaller breeds though the cockrels are simply discarded at least with capons they can become useful meat birds.

Or even pet birds (while admittedly that "market" may be smaller) what about these families who live in town or the "burbs" and cannot have a rooster, so they get their sexed group of 6 chicks when low and behold the beloved pet hen is suddenly a roo. Maybe this family would gladly keep 5 hens and one roo, just b/c it's the kids favorite chicken of all, but they live in town so no crowing roo for them. Now they have to find a home for this usually unwanted boy which is almost surely going to be someone else's dinner or dog food or a trainer roo for a fighting roo. (yes I know it's illeagal, but you are kidding yourself if you think it's not done). If someone could in a couple of minute procedure fix the crowing problem so the family could keep their chick the roo could live out his days in the lap of luxery for a roo.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Quote:
For many of the same reasons you don't take beef cattle to the vet to be killed, or why one doesn't bring livestock to the vet to be dehorned or castrated.

The concern is a valid one to me. I have reasons for using capons in the future, and plan to use an inert gas such as nitrogen to anesthetize the chickens while performing this surgery (but bringing to a vet seems...unlikely let alone unreasonable. Most vets aren't going to want to see meat birds...or any chicken). That said, I support others who choose to go without a method of sedation. The high success rate/low death rate of those experienced with caponizing is a sign to me that this is an acceptable method for personal farm use. Bring it to a commercial scale, and my opinion changes for several reasons.

 

[naillikwj82]

This procedure has been going on for several thousand years and will continue. On the home scale a cockeral can be processed start to finish in 3 - 4 minutes. For commercial use it is also done, much faster, and I can only surmize with a high success rate. In the U.S. a two person team can process 200+ birds an hour (1 every 20 seconds). On this forum you can watch the process in China where two persons can reach 350 birds an hour (1 every 10 seconds)! Definately a good way to improve both flesh quality, and quantity of cockerals. I do feel that any home processed meat bird is vastly better than the commercially processed CX, or capons.
jeff

 

[jrsckn]

Does anyone know the legal ramifications from doing this procedure? It is clearly a surgical procedure done by someone without a medical license which I thought was a felony.

Just to clarify, I have no problem with it being done, I have never done it, and would consider doing so if I had someone to show me how but I would be concerned with the legal aspect.

 

[Kassaundra]

Does anyone know the legal ramifications from doing this procedure? It is clearly a surgical procedure done by someone without a medical license which I thought was a felony.

Just to clarify, I have no problem with it being done, I have never done it, and would consider doing so if I had someone to show me how but I would be concerned with the legal aspect.

Here is an article that while not stating "it is legal" shows it is by there being a known business in Iowa specializing in capons.
http://en.engormix.com/MA-poultry-industry/articles/poultry-meat-industry-capons-t1015/p0.htm

It also gives other useful info.

 

[jrsckn]

Thank you! I've been curious for a while but not enough to start a thread on it lol.

 

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Nice

 

[partsRheavy]

It's completely legal in the US, France, China, and most countries around the world.

I think that Wapsie Produce may have closed a few years ago, but this firm still sells capons:

http://www.northiowaproduce.com/ - North Iowa Produce

Although many urban flock owners regard their chickens as pets, there are no laws that say what a personal owner (who doesn't intend to sell) can do with a chicken, except for the prohibition against cockfighting.

I think that caponizing is prohibited in Great Britain and Germany.

Oh well, their residents can just just hop on the train to France and get capon if they want to...

The feather-plucking is somewhat stressful for the chicken, and there is something to be said for plucking the area a couple days before starving and performing the procedure.