CASTRATION OF THE BIRD (CAPONIZING) 505 



The same improvement in meat is noted in the castrated or 

 caponized bird as in the steer over the meat of the bull, or the 

 meat of the barrow superior to that of the boar. Hence, capon 

 raising is highly desirable, and if properly managed is a prof- 

 itable undertaldng. 



A capon of the Plymouth Rock, Wyandotte, or Rhode 

 Island Red breed should weigh fully 7 or 8 pounds when eight 

 months old. 



Light capons are produced from the Rocks, Wyandottes, and 

 Reds, while the heavy capons are produced from the Brahmas 

 and Cochins. 



The cockerel should be caponized when he weighs from 1 to 

 l}>-i pounds, which will probably be when he is about eight to 

 ten weeks old. 



If the birds are allowed to become too old before operation 

 the testes are found to be very large, the removal of which may 

 prove fatal to the bird. If the birds are hatched from March 

 to May, the operation should be performed in the months of 

 June to September, and with proper feeding and care these 

 birds should then be ready to market from December to March. 



The equipment needed to perform this operation is a table 

 provided with means of confining the bird, and instruments, 

 consisting of a knife or scalpel, with which to make the incision 

 or cut through the abdominal wall, a hook for tearing through 

 the peritoneum or lining of the abdominal cavity, air-sac walls, 

 and at times through the mesentery, and a spreader for holding 

 the wound open while the removal of the testes is accomplished. 



An improvised table may be made by taking-a barrel, using 

 two strings and two weights of sufficient size to hold the bird 

 down, usually about the size of a half-brick. The strings are 

 doubled, and one looped around the legs, the other around the 

 base of the wings, and half-bricks tied to the free ends, as 

 shown in Fig. 204. 



A poultry operating-table has been designed by the writer, 

 as shown in Fig. 205. It consists of a top 2 feet wide and 30 

 inches long. This table is provided with 4-inch cross-pieces, 

 as shown, and are located about half-way from the top of the 

 table to the ground, and provided with two awning hooks on 

 either side. Holes are bored through the top at suitable loca- 



