GRAPHIC PICS of my day learning to caponize

[Kassaundra]

My biggest problem is lighting and eyesight, still working on that as well.

Poco has a great head lamp, I am getting a better one, mine is just 30 lumens I'm upgrading to about 300 lumen.

 

[AletaG]

Poco has a great head lamp, I am getting a better one, mine is just 30 lumens I'm upgrading to about 300 lumen.

Yeah, would have been lost w/o the headlamp. Though nicely enough, the interior cavity of the Icelandics seemed pretty straighforward. Only HAD to move the intestines once, and never 'lost' sight of any. Anyone notice other breed-specific pluses or minuses (in the Icelandics case, the extra tough connective tissue def, a negative, and the small size required to not miss the tiny teste window). On the plus side, it's only been about 4 days and already I can tell they are eating up a storm and all of them are JUST a hair, but obviously bigger than their unmolested companion).

 

[Poco Pollo]

I have a set I bought on ebay: dental loupes 3.5 x magnification with led headlamp and portable, rechargeable battery. I don't use the magnification now that I've got my prescription glasses, but I do use the safety glasses over my glasses with the headlamp attached. I charge the battery for an hour before using it, and it's the brightest little light I've found. The set was about fifty dollars. On breeds, barred rocks have been the easiest to caponize, and they put on weight well after surgery.


I've got three like this one destined for a friend's table this Christmas : )

 

[Maggiesdad]

Hmmm... like which one?! :^)) that middle boy is either intact or a slip.

 

[Poco Pollo]

Hmmm... like which one?! :^)) that middle boy is either intact or a slip.

The middle boy is a full capon. Check out his saddle feathers. He was caponized at eight weeks and already had a great deal of comb. His brothers don't have much comb, but they have really large wattles. All three are passive, don't crow, and lounge around like dumplings. I need to weigh him tonight to see if he is bigger than his siblings. The other barred rocks are not in the photo.

 

[naillikwj82]

Sorry to be the bearer of poor news but, without doubt the middle bird is a slip. Keep in mind that the most miniscule amount of testes remaining will continue to develop. As the bird continues to age, the testes continue 2 cell become 4 cells, then 8-16-32-64-128 and pretty soon it has a whole bunch that start to produce a greater amount of testosterone. Clinical studies have reported this. (see earlier posts) HE will continue to be more active, and eventually show more behavior traits of an fully intact cockerel. My suggestion is to cull HIM to the oven ASAP., and when you do the evisceration watch for the regrown testes, it will be there I am doing two slips tomorrow morning for the same reasons.
jeff

 

[BCMaraniac]

Quote:
I am a newbie to chickens and to capons. In my VERY limited experience, if a cockerel is caponized at an age where there has been significant comb development, there will be fading of the color of the comb and reduction in its size, which I assume is because of decreased blood flow in response to the abrupt reduction in sex hormone. Once that baseline is reached, if I notice a return in the the color and size of the comb and wattles.....usually the wattles first....then I assume I have a slip and I cull. I always find testicular material, sometimes smaller than a pea. Sometimes they crow, and sometimes they don't.

 

[naillikwj82]

BCMaraniac- Yes, you are correct.

 

[Poco Pollo]

Okie Dokie! To the supper table he goes : ) I'll take photos if I find any portion of testes still inside the bird.

 

[Maggiesdad]

I couldn't believe that I had left anything in my boys, but sure enough - those with red comb and wattles instead of pink sub-teenager headgear had weird little white marble sized growths in there.

The good thing was, they were still better than intact roosters, and had lots of fat in them from their early days of lounging around.

Next spring I resolve to take a little more ducting with the nugget..