GRAPHIC PICS of my day learning to caponize

[Kabootar]

I suppose people don't eat intestine in the States. In Asia people do eat intestine, we turn the intestines inside out and then clean it. We also don't butcher a bunch of birds at once and then put them freezer. We eat freshly killed animals and perhaps that's why caponizing is more important to us.

 

[CindyinSD]

This is for processing , not caponing, but it seems like fasting over 12 hrs is hard on the intestines
https://www.poultryworld.net/Home/G...wal-minimises-losses-at-processing-WP009469W/View attachment 2036882

That's very interesting. I've sort of compromised on this one (for slaughter for food) by removing feed but not grass the evening before and not removing water at all. I did this because of reading a wide array of opinions on here and seeing that a more limited fast (or none at all) seems to work fine for a significant number of people. I've had no problems so far with this. In addition it makes the crop easier to locate if it has some grass in it.

As for caponing, it's not slaughter (hopefully), but a fairly minor surgical procedure. The fast is needed for the surgery, to shrink the intestines since they would be in the way otherwise.

I fasted the roosters only overnight for two reasons. First, because I couldn't be sure of the weather and didn't want to stress them unnecessarily in case I didn't end up processing them on schedule. (Which for two of them did end up happening.) Second, because I intended to kill them, THEN practice caponing on the carcasses as a way to educate myself, then after that, to process them for consumption. So, length of the procedure in this case didn't matter since they would be dead already and not suffering.

So, when I do caponize live cockerels, I will absolutely follow the 36 hr feed fast and 24 hr water fast as @Kabootar recommends. Also thanks for the tip about a tear mending more rapidly than a clean-cut incision. I knew that fact concerning tears in childbirth, but neglected to connect it to the caponing incision. I will remember. And yes, I agree my rooster had sour crop. Poor little guy.

 

[Kabootar]

That's very interesting. I've sort of compromised on this one (for slaughter for food) by removing feed but not grass the evening before and not removing water at all. I did this because of reading a wide array of opinions on here and seeing that a more limited fast (or none at all) seems to work fine for a significant number of people. I've had no problems so far with this. In addition it makes the crop easier to locate if it has some grass in it.

As for caponing, it's not slaughter (hopefully), but a fairly minor surgical procedure. The fast is needed for the surgery, to shrink the intestines since they would be in the way otherwise.

I fasted the roosters only overnight for two reasons. First, because I couldn't be sure of the weather and didn't want to stress them unnecessarily in case I didn't end up processing them on schedule. (Which for two of them did end up happening.) Second, because I intended to kill them, THEN practice caponing on the carcasses as a way to educate myself, then after that, to process them for consumption. So, length of the procedure in this case didn't matter since they would be dead already and not suffering.

So, when I do caponize live cockerels, I will absolutely follow the 36 hr feed fast and 24 hr water fast as @Kabootar recommends. Also thanks for the tip about a tear mending more rapidly than a clean-cut incision. I knew that fact concerning tears in childbirth, but neglected to connect it to the caponing incision. I will remember. And yes, I agree my rooster had sour crop. Poor little guy.

I just saw that the original poster used stitches to close the incision. I don't think that's necessary. I have never used it or never saw someone using it. I think you can safely skip that part.

 

[SueT]

I found this video demonstrating caponizing, pretty good close up photography. They don't stitch up either. If anyone has comments or critique about the method shown, it will be appreciated.

 

[Kabootar]

I found this video demonstrating caponizing, pretty good close up photography. They don't stitch up either. If anyone has comments or critique about the method shown, it will be appreciated.

I think the video successfully complicates a process that is already rather complicated. He doesn't begin the video talking about how long we should withhold the food and water. The scalpel is too sharp for my taste, still somehow he is not able to make the incision in one strike. Just look at the blood loss.

He does not pull the skin towards the thigh. he shows a lot of instruments, in my opinion they are not the best that are available. Do we really need to boil them for half an hour? I would have caponized more than10 cockerels in 15 minutes. I think I have seen better videos.

 

[aart]

I know when I delayed processing to 24 hrs the intestines kept breaking when I tried to pull them out

I without feed only for 12 hours or so...have never had intestines break while pulling out,
and often open intestines looking for worms, they didn't cut open easily.
First couple times I didn't withhold feed and poop came out of vent when pulling guts.

 

[Molpet]

I suppose people don't eat intestine in the States. In Asia people do eat intestine, we turn the intestines inside out and then clean it. We also don't butcher a bunch of birds at once and then put them freezer. We eat freshly killed animals and perhaps that's why caponizing is more important to us.

Never heard of someone eating chicken intestines here. Larger animal intestines are stuffed with meat, called sausages
I have been killing 2 birds at a time usually, one for now and one for the freezer. Anymore I don't starve them. Too many things going on to plan ahead.
People who raise the hybrid meat birds have to kill them all close together. They are not meant to live long. people have lots of losses if they are allowed to live too long.

 

[Molpet]

I without feed only for 12 hours or so...have never had intestines break while pulling out,
and often open intestines looking for worms, they didn't cut open easily.

They ones I starved for 12 hrs were fine. One day plans didn't work out and I didn't get to them until evening. Grabbed a gizzard to pull everything out and left half the intestines. Next one I was more careful and it was very fragile. normally I could let it tumble out into a bucket and cut out the vent with them hanging

 

[aart]

They ones I starved for 12 hrs were fine.

I don't consider it 'starving' them...they don't eat at night anyway, so only a few hours without feed....and they get a crop full of scratch right before the kill(makes it easier for me to find and remove crop).

 

[CindyinSD]

I found this video demonstrating caponizing, pretty good close up photography. They don't stitch up either. If anyone has comments or critique about the method shown, it will be appreciated.

Thanks! I don't think I've seen that one. Will definitely take a look!