Instrument for caponising chickens
Poultry caponising instrument to inject a pellet
Name/Title
Instrument for caponising chickensEntry/Object ID
2025.1.224Description
Metal tool that can inject a pellet into a chicken.Context
After WWII the demand for chicken increased, so cockerels were caponised which increased the breast meat. However the process to remove the testes, involved making two slits between the last two ribs and cutting them out, which was tricky and eventually banned. By the early 1950s, chemical caponisation was developed, which involved inserting a female hormone pellet in the neck, with an instrument like the one illustrated. This, too, was later banned. By 1953 a different breed of chicken - a broiler - arrived from America and provided the extra poultry that was needed. Although rare now in commercial production, in the Gers and Jura regions of France, capons are still a speciality.Category
Animal Husbandry