SUCCESS WITH POULTRY 



97 



OAPONIZING— HOW TO DO IT. 



Full and Explicit Directions for Caponizing. 



Kg. 1. 

 Cord for Holding ffowl. 



Every poultry raiser has each year a large number of 

 surplus cockerels. These he finds it hard to dispose of at a 

 profit. In the market can can seldom get for them (in their 

 natural state) more than one-half or two-thirds of what he 

 can readily obtain for pullets and hens. It is a fact, how- 

 ever, that when properly caponized and brought to a mar- 

 ketable size, he can obtain for these same cockerels, now 

 developed into capons, twice as much as he can get for his 

 pullets and hens. . 



A commission merchant, with whom the writer had a 

 talk, reported capons selling at twelve to eighteen cents 

 per pound in that city during the season, and the demand 

 strong. He was then handling capons brought from Illinois, 

 Ohio and Indiana that weighed ten, eleven and twelve 

 pounds. They were killed when from ton months to a year 



Directions for Caponizing. 

 From twenty-four to thirty hours before performing the 

 operation select such cockerels as you intend to caponize 

 (these should be from two to four months old)^ confining 

 them in a clean and airy coop or room without either food 

 or water. The best time to confine them is at early morn- 

 ing, as their long fast will then 

 1 end about noon of the following 

 day, at which time the operation 

 is best performed. Should the day 

 be cloudy or wot do not caponize 

 them, but let the operation go until a bright and fair day. 

 It is -necessary that you have all the light possible i"u the 

 matter. If it be a cloudy day, and you decide not to 

 caponize, the birds may be given a little water and food 

 if necessary, but it is much better to avoid this if possible, 

 as it is very desirable to have their intestines quite empty, 

 thus allowing their testicles to be more readily seen, be- 

 sides giving the operator much more room in which to per- 



Fig. 2. — Knife for Making Cut. 



form his work. Lay the bird on the , operating table (this 

 table is fully described elsewhere in this article) on its left 

 side. Wrap the cprd (Pig. 1) twice around the bird's legs^ 

 above the knees. In making one wrap only, there is danger 

 of the birds kicking themselves out of the loop. Hook the 

 other cord once around both his wings, close to the body. 

 To the opposite end" of these cords attach a half brick, or 

 some other weight, letting them hang over the sides of the 

 table. This holds the bird securely. Have all your instru- 

 ments in readiness, that you may 

 work quickly. Theard the, Canula 

 (Fig. 5) with a strong and long 

 horse hair or fine steel wire (we 

 think wire the best), letting the 

 wire form a loop at the curved end, 

 and extend well out at the other 

 ■end. Now, after slightly wetting 

 the spot, proceed to pluck the f eath- 

 Fig. 3.— Spring Sin-eader. gjg irom the upper part of the last 

 two ribs, just in front of the thigh joint. Pull the flesh on 

 the side down toward the hip ;' when operation is finished 

 the cut between the ribs will be entirely closed by the skin 

 going back to its place. While holding the flesh back with 



the left hand, with the right hand take the knife (Fig. 2) 

 and insert it (cutting edge away from you) between; the 

 last two ribs, cutting first down, and then up a little way^ 

 following the direction of the ribs, making the cut not over 

 one inch long. Cut deep enough to go through the skin and 

 flesh, being very careful not to go so deep as to cut intes- 



r 



Fig. 4 Sharp Hook to Open FUm-L.lke Skin. 



tineg. There is little danger of doing this, however, if they 

 are empty, as they will be from the bird's long fast. The 

 danger of cutting the intestines is when they are full, as 

 in this state they press against the ribs. Should the cut 

 bleed, .stop a moment, let the blood clot on the thin skin 

 covering the bowels,, and then remove it with the spoon 

 forceps. Next take the Spring Spreader (Fig~ 3); .press it 

 between the thumb and finger until the ends come to'geth;er^ 

 inserting the ends in the incision, with the spring end to- 

 ward the bird's feet- (see oper^iting table). Upon looking 

 into the cut a thin tissue-like skin will be seen just under 

 the ribs and enclosing the bowels. Take a sharp hook 

 (Fig. 4) and pick the tissue pen, so that you may get into 

 the bird with the instruments. The breaking of this skin . 

 does not cause the least pain to the bird. One of the testi- 

 cles will now be brought plainly to view, lying close up to 

 the back of the fowl. Sometimes both testicles are in 

 sight but this is not generally the case, as the other one 



Fig. 6. — Caponizing Canula. 



lies beyond and more on the other aide of the bird, the 

 intestines preventing it from being seen from this opening. 

 The testicle brought to view is~ enveloped in a film. This 

 should be brought away with the testicle. Some people, in 

 caponizing, tear the skin open and then take the testicle 

 out. The danger in so doing is, that if the skin is. left, 

 there is danger of causing a ' ' slip. ' ' , 



Now comes the only dangerous part of the whole opera- 

 tion, getting hold of and removing the testicles; but with a 

 steady hand and plenty of light not one bird in fifty should 

 be lost. Attached to the testicle and lying back of it is one 

 of the principal arteries of the fowl, and this, if ruptured, is 

 sure to cause death. It is here that the canula (Fig." 5) 

 proves of great advantage. The hair (or wire) being small 

 and very fine, is- easily slipped between the testicle and ar- 

 tery without injury to either, and a clear, clean cut made. 

 Take the canula in the right hand and adjust the hair (or 



On 



Fig. 6. — Caponizing Probe. 



wire) in it so that a loop about one-half inch long will ex- 

 tend from small end of tube, leaving the two ends of wire 

 extending far enough out of the open end to secure a good 

 hold. Insrt the end of the tube that has the loop on it very 

 carefully and slip the loop over both ends of *the testicle 

 and entirely around it, hold end of tube close down to the 

 testicle. Wheu the testicle is entirely encircled by the loop, 

 take both ends of the wire (or horsehair) which comes out 

 of the other end of the tube with thumb and first finger, 



