CHICKEN CHRONICLES

CAPONS

Well, a capon is a castrated male chicken. In Caponization, the surgical castration of male chickens, the testes of the male chicken are completely removed. A surgical procedure is required for the sexual organs are not external. The result of this procedure will show in the effect of a cockerel to develop certain male physical characteristics or will stunt them if they are developed. The comb and wattles cease growing after castration, so the head of a capon looks small. The hackle, tail and saddle feathers grow unusually long. Over all rate of development is affected.

Caponization also effects the disposition of the rooster. Capons are usually quiet and docile, lacking a cockerel's disposition to fight. Their aggressive hormonal tendencies towards others of the same sex appear lessoned. Which would aid in the housing and keeping of several penned together.

Removal of the testes and thus elimination of the male sex hormones they produce reduces the male sex instinct and changes their behavior. They will become more docile and less active. Energy that is normally expended in fighting, courting behavior, and territorial protection is greatly reduced, allowing more efficient conversion of feed into growth, fat deposition and improved meat quality.

Why would one caponize a rooster? Well caponizing produces a unique type of poultry meat grown for a specialized market. The meat of uncastrated cockerels tends to become rather coarse, stringy, and tough as the birds age. This is not the case with the capon. Caponized males grow more slowly than normal males and accumulate more body fat. The concentration of fat in both the light and dark meat of capons is greater than that of uncastrated males. It is said, that the capon meat is more tender, juicier, and more flavorful than regular chicken.

Where and Who Started Caponizing?

Well, China and Italy appear to be the areas where the earliest caponizing was practiced. As trade routes developed this knowledge spread to other countries such as France, Britain, Africa, and later to the United States. There has always been a high demand on the European market for tender plump fowl. As the heavy roaster fowl came to be produced from broiler-type males before they become sexually active, there was a thought that caponizing might disappear. As yet, this has not happened. Capons continue to be in demand, especially for the gourmet market and in certain ethnic communities. Today, relatively few capons are marketed commercially in the United States. Today commercial capon production in the United States is now limited to a single producer, Wapsie Produce Company in Iowa. The greatest demand is for broilers. Historically capon production has been centered in two major areas the Northeast and Midwest during the 70’s and 80’s. Commercially grown capons are marketed at 15 to 18 weeks of age. The goal is a capon weighing six to eight pounds packaged and ready for market.

Who gets caponized?

Actually any breed of chicken can be caponized. Over the past 100 years breeds that were particularly favored for capon production included Jersey Giants, Brahmas, Orpingtons, Cornish, Plymouth Rocks, and Cochins, all standards of course. Today commercially grown capons are produced using the Cornish x Plymouth Rock cross typically used by the commercial broiler industry.

It appears, that neither carcass quality nor production characteristics such as growth rate and feed efficiency are altered by Caponization of toms; therefore, the practice has never been advocated.

It is possible to caponize pheasants. Caponized pheasants are much more quiet and not as high-strung. The caponized pheasant will grow to a slightly greater size than a standard bird, with increased body fat. Although caponizing pheasants is not the norm, it does have some benefits. There is a higher average body weight at sixteen weeks, cannibalism and other aggressive tendencies are reduced or eliminated, resistance to be captured and handled is reduced, and carcass quality at slaughter is excellent with a high degree of body fat.

So how do you caponize?

Well, it does require some skill and a steady hand, since it is a serious operation from the standpoint of the chicken, is best done by experienced individuals. Male birds are typically caponized at two to four weeks of age. The testes of a male chicken are located within the abdominal cavity.

The cockerel is taken off feed and water 12 to 24 hours prior to surgery and postoperative antibiotics are given to reduce the possible chances of infection. Intestines are not full and crowding the abdominal cavity during the operation. The partially empty intestines settle away from the testes, thus providing improved visibility within the body cavity. The bird must be penned on wire or a clean floor or it may ingest litter material.

Surgical caponizing involves total removal of the testes at about two to four weeks of age. The operation may be performed on older birds, but the young bird suffers less adverse effects and survival rate is higher. Removal of both complete testes is necessary since any fragments that remain will grow and produce enough male hormones to create a "slip." While a "slip" will not be a normally functioning cockerel, it will also not yield the desirable meat qualities of a good capon.

Using a sharp scalpel or knife, a one-inch incision is made through the skin and other tissues between the two posterior ribs. The testes are located on the dorsal wall at the anterior end of the kidneys, posterior to the lungs. The testes of a three-week-old cockerel are about the size of a large piece of grain and may be yellowish, white, gray or black in color.

Both testes are surgically removed from a single incision, the lower or left testes removed first. Care must be taken not to rupture large blood vessels located between the two testes. The upper, right testis is then similarly removed. In the commercial industry electrically heated cautery equipment is used. It prevents excessive bleeding and may reduce the incidence of "slips". This is what may pose a problem for a private citizen who whishes to caponize and lacks the skills. Chickens lack blood-clotting agents and thus excessive bleeding could cause death. Once the bird is released, the incision should close without need for sutures or bandage. Following surgery the birds should be provided feed and water in a clean pen where they are not crowded. Crowding may cause cannibalism.

Written by Debbie Porter