CAPONS 115 



that he allows the chicks to pick at his face and will not pick back 

 at them. When you notice this, you can rest assured that he is on 

 the right road/' 



I have never tried the whiskey treatment, and have never had 

 any difficulty in training a capon. Capons have proved far superior 

 to hens in brooding chicks, in fact they excel all other methods, 

 either natural or artificial. The hen, especially "bred-to-lay" strain, 

 deserts her brood at too early an age, and some hens, especially 

 the pullets, with a first brood, are often very stupid at caring for 

 them. I have known a pullet to hover her chicks in a thunder 

 storm in a gully where the water rushed until they were nearly all 

 drowned. Pullets do not seem to have sense enough to "come in 

 out of the rain," while a good capon, when once he has been taught 

 his way home, will bring the little ones to shelter without any 

 trouble. The capon will defend his little brood most vigorously 

 against cats, dogs or any animal. He seems to develop all the latent 

 parental affection and lavishes it on his young charges as if his one 

 and only object in life was to care for them. 



When Changing Broods 



When the chicks are old enough to take care of themselves, be- 

 fore entrusting another brood to his care, he should have a rest of 

 at least two weeks, especially if the next brood is to be of another 

 color. During the two weeks' rest he will forget the color of the 

 chicks he had and will not be so apt to object to the ,new ones. 

 We all know that hens will sometimes object to chicks of a different 

 color and will oftentimes kill them. When once trained, a capon is 

 very little trouble and will care for brood after brood without any 

 more training than I have mentioned. Capons can be kept over 

 several seasons. I have heard of some being used for eight years, 

 but mine were usually fattened and made a toothsome dish after 

 two years' service. 



It is not difficult to learn how to caponize. The tools or instru- 

 ments necessary are to be found at the poultry supply houses. The 

 price for a set of instruments is from $2.50 to about $4.00, largely 

 depending upon the case in which they are contained. The poultry 

 supply houses have books of instruction for caponizing, and at 

 some of them you can learn the names of persons who, for a small 

 sum, will caponize for others. It would be a good plan for several 

 neighbors to join together and have the person caponize 50 or 100 

 in the same day. In this way, it would make the price lower. 



Capons are not much larger than cockerels of the same breed 

 and age. The difference is in the table quality of the flesh. It is 

 juicier and more tender, just as steer beef is superior to any other 

 beef. 



