CHAPTER XI 



CAPONS AND CAPONIZING 



What is a capon? The word capon is the name applied 

 to the unsexed male chicken and caponizing is the process 

 of unsexing by the removal of the testicles. A true capon 

 is quite different from a cock or cockerel both in his dispo- 

 sition and appearance. In disposition he is quiet and docile, 

 shows no disposition to fight, is easy to confine, and seldom 

 if ever crows. The comb and wattles develop little or not at 

 all, making the head appear small and feminine. 



The purpose of caponizing. Cockerels are caponized for 

 two reasons, first, to secure an increased growth and a bet- 

 ter quality of flesh, and, second, to secure a higher price 

 that is paid for capons as compared with cockerels and cocks. 

 The flesh of a cockerel as it matures becomes tough and 

 stringy, while the flesh of the capon retains the softness and 

 tenderness of young birds and is, therefore, more desirable 



Figure 184. — A Buff Orpington cock. Figure 185. — A Buff Orpington capon. 



185 



