Phoenix chicken

[chickenchatter]

This might be a crazy idea - but can some of the experienced people chime in if I"m totally crazy or not about this ?

If the bird is a rooster - what about making him a Capon (castrated) ? I have no idea if you can just go to the regular vet's office and have this done - or how it is handled. But I always wondered, can a capon be a pet, and will it skip its rooster duty of crowing, thereby being quieter?? Maybe you could keep your extra gift male if he was fixed??

Anyone know?

 

[David]

I was wondering that as well. He is really crowing and in response to lights being turned on the the AM or to the sound of my voice. No one has responded to this, but is this a gentle breed? Thanks

 

[soonerdog]

I have heard of dog owners that have taken their dogs to vets who perform a surgery on their vocal chords. After this surgery the dogs are not supposed to be able to bark any longer. Therefore, the dogs could not bother neighbors with barking. Wonder if they could do the same for the rooster? Then the rooster would not bother the neighbors with crowing. At least he could still enjoy being with his hens.

 

[chickenchatter]

David, How did you discern that he is a phoenix? I read that M.M. hatchery won't keep track of, nor tag, what the breed of "gift" chicken they give with their orders. Is it possible he is a different breed?

And - to follow up on the Capon idea - I read on wikipedia that a capon will not crow, nor behave in a rooster like manner. Now the only part I don't know is where you go to have the surgery performed. Standard vet? Not sure.

 

[chickenchatter]

David,

The feather site has a long list of groups of phoenix breeders / owners around the world. I would ask some of them about the gentility of this breed. Here is the feather site page:

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGP/Phoen/BRKPhoenix.html


Also - I know you mean well, soonerdog, but the vocal cord surgery for a dog is highly unpleasant and painful for the dog ... and it would have to be repeated after a certain amount of time in many cases. I know this might be going off topic - so I'll just suggest further reading or questioning your vet about that practice. It is typically only considered when euthanasia might be the only alternative - and even then, it isn't pleasant. Regards.

 

[eggchel]

Roosters cant be de-crowed the way a dog can be de-barked. The vocal cords are different. You can have them caponized, but most vets probably dont do it or would charge a lot. However, you can learn to do it yourself. Here are some links:

http://www.themodernhomestead.us/poultry/capon.html
http://www.afn.org/~poultry/capon.htm
http://www.umaine.edu/umcecumberland/caponizing_illustrated.htm

There also was a time when the broiler industry used hormone pellets, inserted under the skin of the cockerels, to chemically castrate them. The practice was abandoned when it was discovered that male humans who ate the capons were reacting to the estrogen. It was however, a quick easy way to caponize. Maybe your vet could do that if you promise not to eat the cockerel later.

chel

 

[Servant]

You can do it your self it is not hard at all for the first timer. Just handle the bird don't let him handle you! if you read and look at http://www.afn.org/~poultry/capon.htm which is the same link as above you can do it easy. Just move fast as you can during it.

 

[chickenchatter]

Oh my goodness! Don't they sedate the bird before they cut into him????????

 

[V Chic Chick]

Caponising is normally done to make a bird put on weight faster when he is being fattened for the table.

De-crowing is extremely expensive, often fatal and I know at least here (and probably in some states too) it is illegal. It also stops them making the normal cluck-cluck-bawk-bawk sounds they use to communicate too.

Hey servant, are you in Scotland or is there another Aberdeen I haven't heard of?

 

[Napalongtail]

David all of my phoenix boys are extremely gentle! I have 17 males. They all get bathed and blow dried and will hang out in the house to dry. alikin him to a parrot and watch him blossom!