362 COMMERCIAL POULTRY RAISING 



of Asiatic breeds — Brahmas and Langshans, which are still 

 further improved by the admission of Plymouth Rock and English 

 Game blood. 



Cross Breeds. — It is not uncommon for Light Brahma capons 

 to weigh from twelve to fifteen pounds each at eight or ten months 

 of age. Smaller capons, however, will more nearly supply the- 

 needs of the average family, consequently the Plymouth Rocks 

 and Wyandottes will be found very satisfactory. White Ply- 

 mouth Rocks, straight or crossed with White Cornish Game, give 

 excellent results, a long full breast, clean yellow legs, and no 

 dark pinfeathers. 



Another practice is to cross the Barred Plymouth Rock with 

 the Light Brahma, which will give greater weight, but the dark 

 pinfeathers are an objection. A bird with handsome plumage is 

 more attractive as a capon, for in dressing this class of poultry 

 much of the plumage is left on the body. See Figs. 234 and 



235- 



The conventional way to dress capons is to leave the head and 

 hackle feathers, the feathers on the wings to the second joint, the 

 tail feathers, including those a little way up the back, and the 

 feathers on the legs halfway up the thighs. These feathers 

 serve to distinguish capons from other fowls in the market, 

 and fof this reason partridge-colored birds are used to a great 

 extent. The undeveloped comb and wattles are other distin- 

 guishing features of the capon, also a long, rather pointed head. 



Time to Caponize. — Cockerels may be caponized at any age, 

 but for the comfort of the bird and convenience of the operator, 

 it is not advisable to perform the operation when the birds are 

 too young or after they are more than six months old. In de- 

 termining the proper time, the size of the bird should be the 

 governing factor, the most desirable time being when the birds 

 weigh from two and a half to three pounds, or when they are 

 about three months old. The operation will succeed on older 

 birds, but the percentage of deaths and slips will be greater. A 

 slip is a bird that is neither capon nor cockerel, and brings no 

 better price than a cockerel. 



