GRAPHIC PICS of my day learning to caponize

[Ruthster55]

One more word of explanation. No, I am not raising little chickens outside in zero degree F weather and icicles.

I am outside the United States.

 

[BCMaraniac]

One more word of explanation. No, I am not raising little chickens outside in zero degree F weather and icicles.

I am outside the United States.

We didn't figure you were.....since you have "puddles" of water.......LOL

 

[Ruthster55]

Thanks! I was very nervous when I first tried it. Practice is pretty much the only way to learn after one has read.

Good job! Sorry to hear about the coccidia At least you were able to use that misfortune to move forward with some hands on experience w/ caponizing.

 

[Ruthster55]

This is the currently very damp year-round pasture!

We didn't figure you were.....since you have "puddles" of water.......LOL

 

[Maggiesdad]

This is the currently very damp year-round pasture!

Cut a couple of 1' squares of that sod and put it in with the babies next time. Probably won't help your guys now, but it's worth a try.
Lot's of folks say that broody raised babies don't get the 'dosis.

 

[Ruthster55]

Thanks for the suggestion!! The situation is a little bit unusual here. I bought the chicks at 5 to 7 weeks old from a store. The incubating and early rearing of the chicks is done at a lower elevation about 300 km away where the weather is warmer year-round. Then they ship them here.

Maybe I need to get an OEGB hen or two as a broody. I doubt that silkies would make it in this damp.

 

[BCMaraniac]

I am writing on a tablet, and the submission process is a little buggy, so this is two posts.

The pic above is from a little ten-week-old barred rock mix with a stll-undeveloped comb that died of coccidia.

I used it for practice, and he was indeed a him. Used a Pilling remover with a B guitar string. This fellow had his testes connected well with the peritoneum, so the high E string (smallest) didn't work, and I had to use the B. One side was a slip result and the other was removed OK. Used a sawing and then twisting motion to get it out.

The pic shows a lentil and red bean for size comparison.

A smaller (dead) one I did last week came out easily with the high E string.

Now, I gotta figure out what to do about these coccidia! Already have treatment in their water but they had access to some dirty rain puddles also....

Hey Ruthster, I have been meaning to ask you, but I keep forgetting(old age you know..LOL), when you practiced the caponizing on your dead birds, since they didn't bleed out as a cause of death, how visible were the blood vessels when you were removing the testicles? I would think it would be easier to see them than when you practice on a bird you have butchered to eat. If so, that will serve you well when operating on the live birds.

 

[Ruthster55]

Unfortunately, it had been a number of hours since death. There wasn't much blood, and the vessels weren't clearly visible.

 

[goldhillgirl]

Hi everyone! I have read this entire thread from the begining over the past several days and have learned so much from all of you. Thank you all for the education. I'm planning to start raising DP breeds for meat this year and will be trying my hand at caponizing. Anyone in NC that has does it and wouldn't mind having a helping hand or wanting to learn and would like a buddy? (I'm about halfway between Charlotte and Winston)

 

[LindaB220]

Welcome goldhillgirl, you've come to the right place. I'm a newbie also, but this site is awesome. So informative. Enjoy!!