CAPONS 



395 



hours before the operation the cockerels selected should be kept 

 in a clean, airy coop, all feed and water being withheld; this ab- 

 stinence will empty the intestines and the operation can be per- 

 formed more easily. It is a good plan to shut them up at night, 

 keeping them confined for thirty-six hours and performing the 

 operation the second morning after. If the time set is cloudy or 

 wet, the operation should be postponed until fair weather, as a 

 bright light is necessary for the best work. 



The amateur should follow the directions closely, for the over- 

 looking of some slight detail may result in a ruptured artery or 

 the tearing of a vital organ, which may mean death. Caponizing 

 is the most dangerous of all forms of emasculation, since the or- 

 gans lie wholly within the cavity of the body close to the heart, 

 lungs, and large arteries; hence 

 the necessity of following direc- 

 tions closely. 



The Operation. Place the op- 

 erating board on a barrel or table 

 out of doors in some sheltered 

 place, but where the sun shines 

 brightly. Have the coop with the 

 starved birds handy. Provide 

 a shallow pan filled with a dis- 

 infecting solution, one per cent 

 creolin being good, in which the 

 instruments can be placed. Take 



the bird from the coop, lay it on its left side with its back toward 

 the operator, and fasten to the table in the manner before 

 described. Moisten the hands in the disinfecting solution, and 

 pluck the feathers in the vicinity of the last rib, leaving a 

 bare space free from feathers, bounded by the third rib, back- 

 bone, and thigh. Next take the knife or lancet in the right hand, 

 cutting edge from the operator, and with the left hand press the 

 two ribs about one-half inch from the backbone (Fig. 182). When 

 the knife enters the skin, the bird will struggle a little, but after 

 this there will be little movement of any kind. The incision 

 should be quickly made by making a cut up and down about one 

 inch long, always cutting away from the backbone, and not re- 

 moving the knife from the cut until it is of the desired size. The 

 cut should be made deep enough to penetrate the skin and body 

 walls, but not deep enough to cut the intestines. The danger of 



FIG. 182. Dotted line shows proper 

 place to make incision for caponizing. a and 

 6, last ribs. 



