CAPONS AND CAPONIZINO 



187 



Most suitable breeds for capons. Owing to the fact 

 that large capons bring the best prices, it does not pay to 

 caponize males of the smaller breeds, such as the Leghorn. 

 Breeds with yellow legs and skin, such as the Plymouth Rock, 

 Cornish, Brahma, Langshan, and Wyandotte, as in other 

 classes of table poultry, are the most desirable for this 

 purpose. Of these the Light Brahma and Barred Plymouth 

 Rock and other American breeds are most generally used. 



Time to caponize. Cockerels should be caponized when 

 they weigh from 11/^ to 3 pounds, or when they are from 2 

 to 4 months old. The general-purpose breeds can be 

 caponized when a 

 pound and a half 

 in weight or when 



2 months old, 

 while cockerels of 

 the meat breeds 

 should be about 



3 or 4 months old 

 or about 3 pounds 

 in weight. 



Ordinarily 

 cockerels should 

 not be caponized when larger or older than just 

 stated, as there is considerable danger in losing the birds 

 by pricking the arteries which he near the testicles and 

 thereby causing them to bleed to death. Capons are 

 in the greatest demand beginning with the Thanksgiving 

 season and until the end of March. Considering this fact 

 and remembering that it takes about ten months to pro- 

 duce a well-finished capon, it will be evident that it is 

 important to hatch early in the spring in order to have 

 cockerels of suitable size to caponize in June and July. 

 Preliminary requirements. Cockerels that are to be 



Figure 186. — Barred Plymouth Rock cockerel of 

 smtable size to caponize. 



