THE following article on making capons, is the best within our
recollection. It is taken from the directions accompanying the sets of
instruments for caponising, made by Mr. John Mendenhall, Philadelphia:--
FOWLS intended to be cut, must be kept at least twenty-four hours
without food, otherwise the entrails will fill the cavity of the belly
and render it almost impossible to complete the operation; besides,
when they have been starved the proper length of time, they are less
liable to bleed.
The chicken is taken at any age, from five days old until it begins
to crow, or even after. Lay the fowl on its left side on the floor,
draw the wings back, and keep it firm by resting the right foot on its
legs, and the other foot or knee on its wings. (The table with the
apparatus does away with the necessity of this stooping position.) Be
careful that the head of the fowl is not held down, or even touched
during the operation, as it would be sure to cause it to bleed. Pluck
the feathers off from its right side near the hip joint, in a line
between that and the shoulder joint; the space uncovered should be a
little more than an inch square. Make an incision between the two last
ribs, having first drawn the skin of the part backward, so that when
left to itself it will cover the wound in the flesh. In some fowls the
thigh is so far forward that it covers the two last ribs; in which
case, care must be taken to draw the flesh of the thigh well back, so
as not to cut through it, or else it would lame the fowl, and perhaps
cause its death in a few days after the operation, by inflaming.
The ribs are to be kept open by the hooks--the opening must be
enlarged each way by the knife, if necessary, until the testicles,
which are attached to the back bone, are entirely exposed to view,
together with the intestines in contact with them. The testicles are
enclosed in a thin skin, connecting them with the back and sides--this
must be laid hold of with the pliers, and then torn away with the
pointed instrument; doing it first on the upper testicle, then on the
lower. (The lower testicle will generally be found a little behind the
other--that is, a little nearer the rump.) Next introduce the loop;
(which is made of a horse-hair or a fibre of cocoa-nut;) it must be
put round the testicle which is uppermost, in doing which the spoon is
serviceable to raise up the testicle and push the loop under it, so
that it shall be brought to act upon the part which holds the testicle
to the back; then tear it off by pushing the tube toward the rump of
the fowl, at the same time drawing the loop. Then scoop it and the
blood out with the spoon, and perform the same operation on the other
testicle. Take away the hooks, draw the skin over and close the wound;
stick the feathers that you pulled off before on the wound, and let
the bird go.
REMARKS.--If the operation be performed without sufficient skill, many
of the fowls will prove not to be capons; these may be killed for use
as soon as the head begins to grow large and get red, and they begin
to chase the hens. The real capon will make itself known by the head
remaining small, and the comb small and withered; the feathers of the
neck or mane will also get longer, and the tail will be handsomer and
longer: they should be kept to the age of fifteen or eighteen months,
which will bring them in the spring and summer, when poultry is scarce
and brings a high price. Take care, however, not to kill them near
moulting time, as all poultry then is very inferior. The operation
fails, principally, by bursting the testicle, so that the skin which
encloses the soft matter, remains in the bird, and the testicle grows
again.
Birds of five or six months are less liable to have the testicles
burst in the operation than younger fowls, but they are also more apt
to bleed to death than those of from two to four months old.
A skilful operator will always choose fowls of from two to three
months;--he will prefer also, to take off the lower testicle first, as
then the blood will not prevent him from proceeding with the other;
whereas, when the upper one is taken off the first, if there should be
any bleeding, he has to wait before he can take off the lower testicle.
The large vein that supplies the entrails with blood passes in the
neighborhood of the testicles; there is danger that a young beginner
may pierce it with the pointed instrument in taking off the skin of
the lower testicle, in which case the chicken would die instantly,
for all the blood in its body would issue out. There are one or two
smaller veins which must be avoided, which is very easy, as they are
not difficult to see. If properly managed, no blood ever appears until
a testicle is taken off: so that should any appear before that, the
operator will know that he has done something wrong.
If a chicken die, it is during the operation by bleeding; (of course
it is as proper for use as if bled to death by having its throat cut;)
they very seldom die after, unless they have received some internal
injury, or the flesh of the thigh has been cut through, from not being
drawn back from off the last two ribs, where the incision is made; all
of which are apt to be the case with young practitioners.
If the testicles be found to be large, the bamboo tube should be used,
and it should have a strong cocoa-nut string in it,--for small ones
the silver tube with a horse-hair in it, is best.
When a chicken has been cut, it is necessary before letting it run,
to put a permanent mark upon it; otherwise it would be impossible to
distinguish it from others not cut. I have been accustomed to cut off
the outside or the inside toe of the left foot,--by this means I can
distinguish them at a distance. Another mode is to cut off the comb,
then shave off the spurs close to the leg, and stick them upon the
bleeding head, where they will grow and become ornamental in the shape
of a pair of horns. This last mode is perhaps the best, but it is not
so simple and ready as the first. Which ever mode is adopted, the fowl
should be marked before performing the operation, because the loss of
blood occasioned by cutting off the comb or a toe, makes the fowl less
likely to bleed internally during the operation.
It is very common, soon after the operation, for the chicken to get
wind in the side, when the wound is healing, between the flesh and
the skin; it must be relieved by making a small incision in the skin,
which will let the wind escape.
Those fowls make the finest capons which are hatched early in the
spring; they can be cut before the hot weather comes, which is a great
advantage.
Never attempt to cut a full-grown cock; it is a useless and cruel
piece of curiosity. I have never known one to live.
Be not discouraged with the first difficulties; with practice they
will disappear; every season you will find yourself more expert, until
the cutting of a dozen fowls before breakfast will be a small matter.
It may be well to give a warning against becoming dissatisfied with
the tools. A raw hand, when he meets with difficulties, is apt to
think the tools are in fault, and sets about to improve them and
invent others; but it is only himself that lacks skill, which practice
alone can give. I have spent money, besides wasting my time in this
foolish notion, but have always found that the old, original tools,
which came from China, and where this mode of operating was invented,
are the best.
Take care that the tools are not abused by ignorant persons attempting
to use them; they will last a person's life-time if properly used; but
if put out of order, none but a surgical instrument maker can repair
them properly.
The object in giving publicity to this, is to have the markets of
Philadelphia well supplied with capons: they have ever been esteemed
one of the greatest delicacies, preserving the flavor and tenderness
of the chicken, with the juicy maturity of age. In the Paris and
London markets, double the price of common poultry is obtained for
capons.
Considering the abundance and excellence of poultry in the United
States, it seems surprising that the art of making capons should be
almost entirely unknown--it is hoped that this deficiency will now be
supplied.