Capon countdown begins again

We just put the two remaining BLR Wyandotte cockerels into the isolation crate (moved under the carport in case we get storms tonight) for caponizing Tuesday morning.  Nothing overly wrong with these two boys; they just aren't the best or most useful for my project breeding.  Azar is bigger, rounder, typier, and grew earlier.  Spikey will be useful as a test breeder to see which pullets have the recessive gene for single comb, and after the test breeding I will use him on the red broiler pullets as a meaty line that is obviously different from the actual Wyandottes.  So, here are Tuesday's patients.

black laced red Wyandotte capon candidates

I do have scalpels now, courtesy of my friend Lynn up the highway.  She says they don't hold an edge very well when used to cut denim.  She also told me they are on the wall at Tractor Supply next to the syringes and needles, so I must have looked right at them when hunting for the big pack of 20G needles the other day.

These two will get their feathers plucked tomorrow when it's daylight, which should give them several hours to chill out again afterwards.  Also, a suggestion from my online mentors, after hearing about my continuing difficulty locating the right place to cut, is to stretch the birds out more to elongate the gap between rib and large thigh muscle.  It will also make it more difficult for one to get free like last week.

These two are line-jumping in front of the broiler cockerels mainly because one of them did the kazoo noise this morning.  I'm not sure which one did it, since both looked utterly surprised and even shocked that strange sound came from one of their beaks.

Oh, I'll wait for a nice pretty day to get a pic of Azar and Spikey (and their harem!) in the new digs.  It may be after the boys are either caponized, or dinner.  Third time has got to be a charm.