Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1915-09-01
POULTRY
CONSULTING DEPARTMENT
The Money Making Capon

IL Is Claimed ZOU,UUU Growers got
the ak on Rooster Day" in Missouri.
Many of those ROSTERS should have
been caponiZed when two to four
months old, for most farms keep too
many ROSTERS and TO sell old ROSTERS
at or 10 cents does not pay. The
farmer should eat them himself. A
leak in poultry returns on the farm is
the sale of surplus cockereis. They
are so loud mouthed and are continu-
all chasing the hens and eat so much
and get TO be such nuisance that
many farmers breathe a sigh of relief
when they are gone.
Indeed, some farmers crate a chick
en- to market just is soon as it
sprouts a comb. Many of these
profit, it is small when compared
with what would be derived if these
young rosters were coponized. The
cost most and thus to sell at this time
this first stage, is a cheap feeder,
ten months at a cost of about cents,
is as easy to raise as ordinary chick
ems, and from Christmas market to
price. Boston, New York and Phila-
delphia pay highest prices, ranging
according to season from % to so
cents per pound. New Jersey and
Massachusetts raise most of the birds
for these points, a single farm in
Massachusetts producing five thou
sand of these fine ROSTERS per year.
CaponiZing is easy and after a lit
hn
comes proficient, it being wise to
operate on dead birds first. Very few
die from the operation; indeed they
will eat while it is being performed,
so little do they seem to suffer, and
afterwards they become quiet and like
steer, just feed and lay on fancy
flesh.
Large, yellow skinned capons sell
best, hence Brahmas, Cochins, Rocks
and White Wyandottes fill the bill.
The finest cross is Dorking male and
Brahma hen, their pullets mated to
Indian Game. Indian and Cochin,
Houdan and Brahma, Lanshang, or
Brahma, with Rocks or Dotes, make
good birds. AS care, cockerels
should have no feed for a day before
operation and no water on the morn
ing it occurs, and when over should
be penned by themselves and given
water and a moderate amount of
mash. A grass run is desirable and
the object in feeding should be a big
frame, fancy flesh and fine finish
Hoppers of wheat, cracked corn, beef
scrap, hulled oats, grit she'll and char
coal and plenty of fresh water should
be kept before them. A moist mash of
two parts bran and one each of wheat
middlings, ground oats and corn meal,
wet up with skim milk, should be fed
at night, all they viii eat in fifteen
minutes.
Two weeks before market. remove
hoppers, and three times a day feed a
milkmoist mash, four parts corn
meal, two parts each of ground oats
and wheat middlings and one of bran,
and throw in little cracked corn be-
tween meals. Capons are dry picked,
head and feet left on, wing joints,
thighs and tail. Feet, mouth and
head should be washed, and in pack
ing the head should be wrapped in
paper to keep blood from smearing
the carcasses. They should be clean
of pin-feathers, perfectly cooled and
shipped in clean boxes or barrels lin
ed with. white paper. 1t is the Gus
tom to remove the birds comb at time
of operation, the wattles will shrink
themselves. Absence Of comb and d.
minutive wattles are distinguishing
marks of capons and birds that de-
velop combs and wattles after the
operation are slips and with them the
operation is a failure. They are not
capons, they are no longer breeders.
They should not be shipped with the
capons but sold as ordinary market
stock.