TII1<: BREEDING OF CHICKENS 



07 



must l)e older, (■()inj)arati\ely, than other farm animals 

 Ijefore the operation can be undertaken. I'lie hirds tliat are 

 killed die a ([uiek and painless death hy hleeding. They 

 are not a total loss, as they are perfectly wliolcsoine for food. 

 "It is difficult to state the exact size or a^c at which a 

 cockerel may l)c most successfully ojK'rated nixm, as different 

 birds develop dilfcrcntly. As a startin;;-i)oint, liowever, 



Fig. 3.5 



A home-made caponizing table. (Courtesy of Mr. George Beuoy.) 



the l:)ec,'inner \\\]\ be safe in using birds weighing Ijctween 

 one and a half and two pounds if they are of the Plymouth 

 Rock, Ilhode Island lied, Wyandotte, or Orpington breeds. 

 Leghorns weighing a pound may be used also. Later, as 

 one becomes more familiar with the matter, t!ie birds will 

 be selected by their 'look' rather than l)y weight or age. 

 The cockerel shown in Figure 34 is just read\'. The projjer 

 time is just before he begins to make comb, when the organs 

 are about the size of a small navv bean. 



