How to caponize a rooster Warning Graphic pics

[tothemoon]

I had no idea what "caponing" was when I clicked on this thread...........I think I will be scared for life!

 

[silkiechicken]

Nice that you were able to document the procedure!

Personally it's not something I'd do since I kind of like the stronger chicken flavor of roosters and old hens for soups, and if I wanted meat, I'd go with a meat bird since they have been optimized for the feed to meat ratio.

If anything, it was well worth the learning experience for yourself and the experience you can now share with others.

 

[greathorse]

I dont think you will get a great effeciency with the Capons. I think if you want to get full benefit of the procedure you would want to put them on the best feed you can put them on (feedlot style) and butcher them when they get nice and fat.

At the time that caponization was really used was before we had the meat type and egg type production system and poultry producers were trying to create some kind of market for the males from the dual purpose birds they were producing. It takes a lot of feed which is why capon's are quite costly when they do exist. I think that the few capons that are produced now days are made from the cornish cross, but I am not certain of that.

I have an old book produced by the Farm Journal in 1911 and in that book he talks about capons taking a year to get to market and that birds up to two years old were still tender and delicious.

It seems that when the grain was produced on the same farm as the animals there was a slightly different value system applied to the grain.

I would love to hear how you like them in a few more months, or when you do eat a few of them.

 

[canada-goose]

If I weren't so squeamish, that would be a great thing to do with extra cockerels. They would be good pets.

 

[pepper48_98]

What breed are they?

 

[Mahonri]

Quote:
That just made me laugh out loud... and everyone in the house is asleep!

 

[jenjscott]

I think I'm going to try this with some Buckeyes. The article I read didn't show a lot of difference in the final weights, but rather the tenderness of the meat. I hate to kill mine at 18 weeks, there just isn't much there. If I can grow them out to 6 to 8 months and still have something besides stew meat, I will be happy.l

 

[chickendude]

Great post!

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Most of the birds I have for processing are the mixed-breed roos that result when I give my broody hens eggs to hatch. The mixed-breed pullets make nice reliable layers, and the roos are allowed to run around & get in the way until they're about 20 weeks old and big enough to butcher. They average around 3 pounds dressed and I've never found any to be tough or bad-tasting.

Do you think it would be worth it to caponize them? Would it make them meatier at 20 weeks? Or would I have to let them grow for a longer period of time for them to gain even more weight? Or would the caponizing be just to improve their taste?

Please let me know what you think before I invest in a set of caponizing tools and try to learn the technique.

 

[3KillerBs]

Quote:
I wonder if, in that case, they were fattened for the holiday market by penning them in the fields to glean the fallen grain?