CARE AND FEEDING 



369 



two per cent. If the birds are killed accidentally, they are per- 

 fectly good to eat, hence they are not wasted. 



A Slip. — Sometimes the operation appears to be very success- 

 ful, yet the bird develops much the same as a cockerel. This 

 condition is due to the fact that a small portion of the gland 

 has been left in the body. Such specimens are termed slips. 

 They are neither cockerels nor capons. 



Following the operation the birds should be placed in a clean 

 pen by themselves. Give them all the water they want, and for 



Fig. 242. — ^The gland is grasped by 

 means of the spoon forceps or can- 

 nula, twisted round and removed. 



{Courtesy Kansas Experiment Station) 



Fig. 243. — When the second gland 

 is removed, or if both glands are re- 

 moved at once, unfasten the spreaders 

 and allow the skin to cover the open- 

 ing between the ribs, as shown, and 

 the operation is finished. 



the next few days keep them confined on soft feed. A few of 

 them will bloat during the first week, but this is not serious and 

 can easily be remedied by pricking the skin with a needle. It is 

 caused by air getting under the skin, raising a slight swelling or 

 wind puff. 



No stitching is required by the operation; the wound will 

 heal in a few days, and in a couple of weeks it will be hard to find 

 even a scar. Capons should be fed nourishing rather than fat- 

 tening feed for the first few months, the object being to keep them 

 24 



