The Great Capon Experiment

[Tiffrz-N-Kidz]

shanyalv

I ordered them from Mt Healthy Hatchery in Ohio.

I got the Bargain #1.

Total cost delivered to TX was $61.00 for 100 birds.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

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Fantastic!

I am super excited for your updates now. I have heritage Orp/EE cockerels that I process most around 5/6 months old with a processed weight of approx 4 to 4.5 pounds. I do not caponize them – though.



Hopefully you will get some colorful eye candy to watch grow.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Good for you! I think it's great when people take action to try & solve a problem, and not just complain that "nobody's" doing anyting to help. I hope your experiment goes well, I'm sure you'll at least learn a LOT throughout the process.

I just learned to caponize this year, and only lost the first one. I tried cutting something I was just supposed to grab, and the poor guy's cavity filled with blood and he died within minutes. He wasn't a total loss, because we turned him over & operated on his other side and learned just what to do & how to do it. I haven't lost another one since.

Read through that post on caponizing really well to gain the knowledge other folks have learned while doing. I found the most difficult part was seeing inside the bird to grab the right part. Next time I'm going to use one of those lights that strap to your forehead & try to get some magnifying goggles or something. My over-40 eyes have difficulty seeing up close. I think that's going to be difficult when you try to operate on 3-week-old chicks, their parts are going to be really TINY.

You're tackling a lot of big issues here, corporate waste, kindness to animals, economy, hunger. I pray that God will continue to guide you & give you wisdom as you go. I believe that He is pleased to see your ambition & your concern. I don't know if this will be the direct answer to the problem of scarcity of supplies at the local food banks, but it's sure a great beginning. At this time it may be more beneficial to folks looking to get back in better touch with their food sources & wanting to be more self-sufficient even though they may live in the city/suburbs.

I wish you all the best of success, do keep us posted!!!

 

[DuckLady]

This thread has been cleaned of the more offensive and most reported posts.

Please remember that no is forcing you to read these threads. If they offend you, move on.

 

[Barred Rocks forever]

thank you tifferz during the spring i will probably be able to join you in this
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[annaraven]

Thanks to the moderators.

I am interested in following this experiment and look forward to reading more about it!

 

[ixnay]

Oh, my. I genuinely appreciate the work that moderators do, it's an "unsung hero(ine)" sort of thing. However, it appears that this thread has been perhaps overly depopulated. I would like very much to know what in my comments were deemed appropriate for deletion, since I thought I was both sincere and restrained.

I agree, if you don't like the idea of caponizing, don't read about it. If it made a difference to my overall household economy, please believe that I would know a whole lot more about it, and this thread would be where I would start learning.

 

[Stefrobrts]

Particularly with the posts in other threads recently regarding how 'dissapointing' heritage birds are when slaughtered for meat, I'm interested to see how this turns out. There are so many extra roosters, and this would be a great use for them. I am particularly interested in the statements that they grow big and stay tender, and can be kept around until needed. Instead of being forced to process all your chickens for the year at once and fill the freezer. I just want to know if the final result is as great as the old-timers say, particularly compared to the cornishX that has spoiled us all with their huge juicy breasts.

 

[annaraven]

So - back on track. What's the status of the experiment? When do/did you get your chicks and how many and when are you planning on doing the deed?

 

[Tiffrz-N-Kidz]

Anna -

They arrived on Wednesday the 15th. I started a "Growout Journal" for them to keep the stats separate from the discussions.

Good news!!! I found a vet who knows how to caponize!!!!! He specializes in exotic pets and usually treats expensive indoor pet birds. He charges over $200 to neuter a bird as a general rule, but is willing to research the method to apply to chickens and will work with me to teach me the most humane and sterile methods! How cool is that?!?!? Even if it costs me a bit for his time, his experience should prove WELL worth the investment.

I am BESIDE myself with joy!