GRAPHIC PICS of my day learning to caponize

[BCMaraniac]

So, today was my second day of caponizations I have several observations.

#1 I much prefer 6.5 week old cockerels to 11-16 week old cockerels. Much easier to manage the procedure even though the birds are so much smaller.

#2 I will not be doing any more Black Australorps. I did 4 today, 3 at 11 weeks and 1 at 6.5 weeks. All procedures went as planned with no bleed-outs but regardless, 2 of the older and the 1 younger all expired for no apparent reason in relation to the others. They just don't seem to be durable enough to withstand the procedure. I will grow out the rest to near maturity and harvest as scrawny juveniles. One other interesting note about the Black Australorp, their testicles are not necessarily ivory, but I found them to be usually two tone Ivory/Black or even all black. See picture.

#3 Barred Rocks ROCK. They all bounced back like nothing happened. The location of the testicles made the procedure easier and in one case, I thought I was using the elevator to lift one testicle, and out popped both. Entire procedure done in 1.5 minutes, not like the Chinese, but not bad for a newbie.

#4 Rhode Island Red were a close second to Barred Rocks for ease, even though the only bird I caused to bleed out today was one Rhode Island Red, just a clumsy mistake on my part. I will do more of these.

#5 Buff Orpington were more difficult to see and acquire target, but very durable and in spite of aborting both procedures due to blood, (one testicle removed from one, none from the other) they acted as though nothing had happened and the blood loss did not translate to losing the bird. I will attempt to finish the job next week.

I did some barnyard cockerels for a friend today as well, mostly 12-16 weeks old, and as I said under #1 above, harder and limited success with 2 complete, and 3 slips. I like the youngsters much better, the testicles are not as attached and much easier to capture and remove with less tissue surrounding and protecting them.

While I did suffer some losses, I don't think I did anything specifically wrong on the three Black Australorps, so I am encouraged. Things were certainly better than the first time I did this in May. I have more birds to do next week, so I hope to improve my skills with each entry. I will get them off food and water earlier, as work kept me from removing them until about 14-16 hours prior, and they were not empty enough.



Kelly

Congratulations, Kelly! I am so sorry for your losses, but unfortunately I think that is part of learning. I have had several sessions, and I seem to improve with each one. I know what you mean about the larger birds. I caponized 10 week old White American Bresse last week, was successful as best I could tell, but gonads were very large and difficult to detach. They are all okay and joined the flock of capons....and slips.....and failures(one who started bleeding and remained intact). I also know what you mean about the little ones....small incisions, VERY small ribs....but they sure seem to tolerate things better..

Just keep on keeping on, and things will continue to improve. We are all trying to learn to do something that had all but died here in the US, so proficiency has a learning curve, especially there aren't many people out there to watch and learn from. This thread has been the best in terms of photos, discussion, and encouragement to those who wish to learn.

 

[BCMaraniac]

The roo doesn't have a mating drive, doesn't crow most times at all, but if they are older they could still crow a little (like already crowing before the procedure, but even those the majority stop crowing all together)

However they keep the roo feathering and look. They get bigger and fatter both.


The females that are poulardized develop secondary male characteristics, which I find interesting. They don't look male or female exactly, and develop shorter legs for some odd reason, from what I've read since I haven't successfully poulardized yet.

Kassaundra, I tried my hand at poulardization today. My birds were 8 weeks old(broody hatch over Memorial Day weekend). I wasn't entirely sure they were all pullets, but as it turned out they were. In the first bird, I got in there, and found what I thought was the ovary, but I wasn't sure because it was so large, so I didn't remove. Turns out it WAS the ovary I am quite sure that I disturbed it, so I marked her with a small cut in the web between two of the toes(that was recommended in some of the literature to tell capons from hens that were housed together). I did that so that I could harvest her before laying, since I very likely affected the tract that the yolk needs to traverse.

In the rest of the birds, I was able to readily identify the ovary......but 8 weeks is too old to poulardize. Even at 8 weeks, the surface of the ovary.....which is yellow like the testicles...looks like cauliflower on the surface and is very large and very fragile. The ovary is also irregularly shaped. The cauliflower-like surface is immature follicles, which will become egg yolks. It is also VERY close to the vena cava. I tried to bluntly dissect out the attached edge, but could only get the ovary out in pieces because of its size.

I was unable to make pictures, because my camera battery was dead. Sorry.

How old was the chick that you couldn't find the ovary in? If it was the age of mine or older, you were probably looking for a ovary the size of a testicle in that age of male......it is way bigger. It was so large you probably didn't even consider the possibility that it was the ovary.

I have some incubator chicks that are 4 weeks old, so I am going to caponize/poulardize(I won't be able to tell one from the other with any degree of confidence at that age) the younger ones in the next week or so to see how much smaller the ovary is. I am guessing that the ovary begins to enlarge early on because of all of those follicles that have to begin development.

The ovary was definitely not the size or shape of a pea in an 8 week old. Hopefully I can get this figured out so I can share with everyone else.

 

[qajaqkelly]

Thanks for the encouragement. I am far from giving up. I did loose one of the Barred Rock 6.5 week olds overnight, but I will continue until I am proficient. This fits me well, as most all my interests revolve around nearly lost skills and trying to recapture them. I received a PM suggesting I not give up on Black Australorps as he said he has a friend that caponizes 100's of them a year for an Asian market. 40% of my young cockerels are Black Australorp so I will keep on trying with them.

This is almost a lost skill, relegated to history by our sterile society which is content to consume cardboard tasting manufactured food in the interest of being politically correct and "civilized", only so they can keep their own hands clean of the matter. Eating industrially produced Cornish X chicken purchased in a store only makes them "feel" better, but they truly are part and parcel of the cruelty that is inherent to that industry. Off my soapbox now.

 

[Kassaundra]

Kassaundra, I tried my hand at poulardization today. My birds were 8 weeks old(broody hatch over Memorial Day weekend). I wasn't entirely sure they were all pullets, but as it turned out they were. In the first bird, I got in there, and found what I thought was the ovary, but I wasn't sure because it was so large, so I didn't remove. Turns out it WAS the ovary I am quite sure that I disturbed it, so I marked her with a small cut in the web between two of the toes(that was recommended in some of the literature to tell capons from hens that were housed together). I did that so that I could harvest her before laying, since I very likely affected the tract that the yolk needs to traverse.

In the rest of the birds, I was able to readily identify the ovary......but 8 weeks is too old to poulardize. Even at 8 weeks, the surface of the ovary.....which is yellow like the testicles...looks like cauliflower on the surface and is very large and very fragile. The ovary is also irregularly shaped. The cauliflower-like surface is immature follicles, which will become egg yolks. It is also VERY close to the vena cava. I tried to bluntly dissect out the attached edge, but could only get the ovary out in pieces because of its size.

I was unable to make pictures, because my camera battery was dead. Sorry.

How old was the chick that you couldn't find the ovary in? If it was the age of mine or older, you were probably looking for a ovary the size of a testicle in that age of male......it is way bigger. It was so large you probably didn't even consider the possibility that it was the ovary.

I have some incubator chicks that are 4 weeks old, so I am going to caponize/poulardize(I won't be able to tell one from the other with any degree of confidence at that age) the younger ones in the next week or so to see how much smaller the ovary is. I am guessing that the ovary begins to enlarge early on because of all of those follicles that have to begin development.

The ovary was definitely not the size or shape of a pea in an 8 week old. Hopefully I can get this figured out so I can share with everyone else.

She was about 6ish weeks I think when I attempted. Is it roughly the same location, same place to cut?

 

[BCMaraniac]

my husband just asked me "are you still reading about caponizing?!?" i'm fascinated by this thread and have been reading all the posts off and on all day as I had the chance. before reading this I was firmly in the "why would anybody do that to a chicken" camp. now i'm considering whether I could do it (I think I can) and whether my husband would let me try (probably. after much persuasion). I am just getting to the point in my chicken keeping of raising my own layer replacements and had never considered that the cockerels would be so much trouble. it's going to be tough not just jumping in w/ both feet, but I suspect i'll be doing a little experimenting next time we butcher. hubby's gonna think I've lost my mind lol.

My hubby already thought I had lost my mind, and that was before I began caponizing. Today I even tried poulardizing, and that is gonna have a learning curve as well.

Come on aboard the Capon Boat!! We have many life preservers!

 

[BCMaraniac]

She was about 6ish weeks I think when I attempted. Is it roughly the same location, same place to cut?

It is roughly the same location, but I did have to enlarge my incision toward the front, but I think that was because of the size of the ovary in the 8 week old. I will have a better idea when I poulardize the younger bird......and I will make sure my camera battery is charged so I can make photos for everyone.

Have you been able to locate the kidneys in the boys?

 

[Kassaundra]

It is roughly the same location, but I did have to enlarge my incision toward the front, but I think that was because of the size of the ovary in the 8 week old. I will have a better idea when I poulardize the younger bird......and I will make sure my camera battery is charged so I can make photos for everyone.

Have you been able to locate the kidneys in the boys?

Haven't looked for them

 

[BCMaraniac]

OK, it is very dark red and is up against the junction of the spine and ribs, and the testicle(and ovary) is located more toward the middle and just above the kidney. There is a white structure up against the spine that is above the kidney, which is the adrenal gland. I like to know where things are, in relationship to each other, so I look around a bit. The spleen is also on the left side, a little higher up but is pretty free floating....I have not looked for it because it has a lot of blood vessels.

Knowing where all of the other organs were helped locate the ovary since it looked very different from the testicle.

 

[Shellz]

Thanks for the encouragement.  I am far from giving up.  I did loose one of the Barred Rock 6.5 week olds overnight, but I will continue until I am proficient.  This fits me well, as most all my interests revolve around nearly lost skills and trying to recapture them.  I received a PM suggesting I not give up on Black Australorps as he said he has a friend that caponizes 100's of them a year for an Asian market.  40% of my young cockerels are Black Australorp so I will keep on trying with them.

This is almost a lost skill, relegated to history by our sterile society which is content to consume cardboard tasting manufactured food in the interest of being politically correct and "civilized", only so they can keep their own hands clean of the matter. Eating industrially produced Cornish X chicken purchased in a store only makes them "feel" better, but they truly are part and parcel of the cruelty that is inherent to that industry.  Off my soapbox now.

Lol! I could've joined you on that soapbox of yours. I totally agree with that!

 

[Shellz]

I can't wait for pics, BCMaraniac! Lots to learn here. Awesome!