Where to get a cockerel castrated?

[Folly's place]

It's the 'practice' part that's tough, and your first 'practice' cockerels very likely won't do well...
Mary

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It's the 'practice' part that's tough, and your first 'practice' cockerels very likely won't do well...
Mary

Have you ever caponized a bird in your practice?

 

[Folly's place]

No, never tried it. I'm just not motivated to do it.
Mary

 

[Mrs. K]

Well I think it is like butchering chickens, a bit more involved...and there winds up being parts that one really did not think through. If I wanted to learn how to do this, I would do a couple on birds I was harvesting, practicing on a recently dispatched bird would be easier for me as to where to cut, what you really find, the kind of tools and how to use them, for me. Then immediately do a live bird.

We do calves all the time, and truthfully, they are up and running, eating as usual, no real problems at all.

Mrs K

 

[Folly's place]

Calves are easy! Abdominal surgery done blind, not so much.
Mary

 

[ChickenCanoe]

X2
I've never had the need or desire to caponize a bird.
I just thought it was possible that a client had approached you wanting to have it done on a bird.
I would bet that like 95% or so of vet clinics you don't have a caponizing kit.
I haven't castrated an animal in about 50 years but when I was a kid it was my job.
I did several calves and perhaps 300 barrows between 1 week and 50lbs.. 50 pounders are a chore.
The oldest calves I did were yearlings.
My dad, the farmer, couldn't do the job. He would hold them while I did it starting when I was about 9 or 10. When I would describe the process while he was holding them with his head turned, he would start vomiting.

 

[ocap]

there was a BYC member named Hellbender (I think he passed away) that knew how. I believe his son was an active BYC member after his dad. I can't remember if the son knew how to caponize. They lived in West Virginia, USA. My knowledge is about two years old.

If I needed to learn I would try a Amish or Mennonite community, then find local egg seller and they might have knowledge of old agricultural methods or know someone who does have the knowledge and would teach you.

 

[ocap]

do a thread search on meat chickens and / or capon and BYC might have a lead on an inactive member

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Most of the larger grocery stores in our area carry capons - in the duck, goose, guinea, turkey section.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Excellent suggestion @ocap.
YouTube also has instructional videos.
This discussion has me thinking of this more seriously. I usually have 30 to 50 spare roosters per year that I'm not going to use for breeding. I can identify at least half of the culls between hatch and about 6 weeks. I may give this a shot on a few next year.
Caponizing a 'classic' Penedesenca (what I raise) may bring the size up to what an 'improved' Pene (only available in Spain) would be.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/search/64637312/?q=capon&o=date&c[node]=21

This is a very long thread.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/graphic-pics-of-my-day-learning-to-caponize.675898/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/capon-service-in-ca.1272171/#post-21283587