GRAPHIC PICS of my day learning to caponize

[Kassaundra]

there is at least 1 or 2 threads here on BYC on skinning chickens rather than plucking them....

I almost always skin, I don't process in batches so it is a huge hassle for me to have a pot of boiling water for one or two birds. One day I may try plucking w/o water to see how hard it really is. Or even better convince my husband to make me that drill bit plucker thing.

 

[oldrooster]

Quote:
how long does it take to skin one?

 

[Kassaundra]

how long does it take to skin one?

About 5 minutes maybe, not long.

 

[oldrooster]

Quote:
so really not much if any longer than plucking it. so much for spending money on a plucker and scalder.....

 

[GerbilsOnToast]

If you skinned them and didn't bother w/ plucking then boiled whole (minus the innards) for soup might be worth that?

Well, you see... keeping chickens has been an evolution thing. Originally, I got a dozen pullet chicks, half leghorns, half RIRs, mostly for insect control. That was not a stellar success, but they did keep the grasshoppers out of the barnyard, and husband discovered free-range eggs were much better. There were too many eggs, so we took a few to farmer's market with us. There weren't enough for that - ever. So I was given a building to convert, and we got some more pullets; leghorns because they laid a lot more. Then other people started referring restaurants & stores to us, and I needed more eggs...

The first BIG batch of leghorn chicks were straight run - and then I learned to process chickens. Fortunately, I have a friend with a plucker and the willingness to teach & assist. Those 77 roosters provided the "sad lunches" - and gallons of canned stock. After that, I decided I would pamper me and just buy pullets. Nobody gets 'retired' from the layer flock - we lose enough to wild things already, and one store that takes eggs actually wants the huge ones. There are so many of them that ladies who may quit laying would never be detected. I have some out there who are 5years old - I know who they are, but most of them I'm also sure are still laying. They'd be the ginormous lumpy eggs, the ones we get for breakfast, lol. I already have someone who wants all the yearlings in the fall, and the rest will just live out their days producing whatever they produce.
There's only the two of us, and my husband doesn't particularly like chicken. Our 'main crop' is grass-fed beef, so he can get away with that. He's okay with me roasting one occasionally because he likes my stuffing, and he'll eat chicken salad once in a while. Chicken soup is pretty much a waste of my time. So, nope, I don't see processing any of the leghorns.

Back on thread topic, my caponizing attempt was a fail. I did not kill any, I 'worked on' one. Chose the one who had arrived here damaged; thinking he was already a loss anyway. Side note, he's been handled by me 4x a day because of the injuries he arrived with...and he's a white rock. Bad choice. Found that I cannot locate the space between ribs once the skin is incised, (I nicked a rib) discovered the tools in the kit I bought were a POS, then glued him back together. He responded to being freed by snuggling into me and whirring. He is now asleep in a private room in the greenhouse, with his lil' nads still inside him, after drinking and dining on mashed egg yolk & gro-gel. I feel quite incompetent. In the morning I will try again with one who isn't white or used to me handling him.

 

[GerbilsOnToast]

I have now succeeded!

Tried to edit; duplicated and don't know how to delete... sry.

 

[GerbilsOnToast]

I have now succeeded!

Multiple times with no losses.
Endless gratitude is given to naillikwj82, who gave me answers & tips I needed, when I needed them. Thank You!

 

[Kassaundra]

Congratulations!!!!!!!

 

[GerbilsOnToast]

Question: What does one do if one knows (beyond doubt) that one has created a 'slip'? Does one allow a week or two for healing and then go in from the right and take care of it, or does one just plan on processing him when he crows?

 

[BCMaraniac]

Question: What does one do if one knows (beyond doubt) that one has created a 'slip'? Does one allow a week or two for healing and then go in from the right and take care of it, or does one just plan on processing him when he crows?

When you say slip, do you mean that you know one of the testicles was not removed at the time of the first surgery or because of the birds actions and development? If you aren't able to remove one of the testicles, then the thing to do is go to the other side at the same time, rather than waiting and putting the bird through another surgery.