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- Sas 
infecting solution, one per cent Se aoe ee ee 
creolin being good, in which the : ee pene Ps : 
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 
