CAPONS 399 



remaining attached to the body, in which case the organ will 

 start to develop and a slip will result. This means that the opera- 

 tion was incomplete, that some of the organ remains hi the body, 

 and that the bird will not develop capon characteristics nor grow 

 as desired. In commercial caponizing this accident occurs in from 

 three to five per cent of all birds operated upon. The possi- 

 bility of fatalities is very slight after one has acquired the art. 

 Death usually results from the rupture of a large artery which 

 runs along the back of the body, and to which the testicle sac is 

 closely attached. When this occurs, either from a misuse of the 

 hook or a too deep knife cut near the backbone, or, hi some cases, 

 as a result of not getting the right hold on the testicle with the hair 

 loop, the birds will immediately bleed to death. Such rupture 

 is indicated by the presence of a large amount of blood in the 

 cavity of the body, and perhaps by the noise which the escaping 

 blood makes. These birds should be immediately plucked, for 

 they can be used as broilers, the bleeding being the same as would 

 be caused by sticking in the throat. The careless operator some- 

 times ruptures the lungs or cuts a rib, which may lead to compli- 

 cations at a later date, but this occurrence is very rare. A loss 

 ranging from one to three per cent by death is a safe estimate. 



Marking Capons. It is essential that all birds which have 

 undergone the operation, whether successfully or not, should 

 be plainly marked, so that there will be no possibility of " slips " 

 getting into the breeding pens. Toe punching and leg banding 

 are often done, but in either case there is danger of the mark 

 becoming obscured or, in leg banding, lost. In commercial work 

 it is the custom, immediately after the operation and before re- 

 moving the bird, to sever the nail of the right middle toe. This 

 slight wound heals almost immediately, causes no pain, and leaves 

 a permanent mark, the end of the toe never growing out again. 

 These toes are usually collected by the paid caponizer, and hung 

 in a little box under his board, to serve as his record of the number 

 of birds caponized. 



Treatment After the Operation. The bird should be removed 

 from the operating table, the proper way being to carry him by 

 the wings, and placed in a clean, airy coop which will permit 

 neither flying nor roosting, for the effort of flying to roost is apt 

 to keep the wound open. Fresh water and plenty of soft feed 

 should be immediately supplied. The birds will immediately 

 begin to eat, and one would never imagine that a delicate opera- 



