To make a cockerel a capon, he explains, a caponizer must restrain the 3 to 6 week old bird by tying weights to its wings and feet to prevent movement and expose the rib cage. Then the caponizer cuts between the lowest two ribs of the bird and spreads them apart with a special tool to open up access to the body cavity.

Are capons illegal?

No U.S. state or federal regulations prohibit the practice of caponizing cockerels—castrating male chickens under one year of age. ... Caponizing has been banned in the United Kingdom due to animal welfare concerns and should be disallowed in the United States.

How do you neuter a chicken?

An old method of caponizing chickens involves a straw with a horse hair running through it in a loop to lasso the testicle. Other methods of caponizing involve cutting a "V" into your pinkie fingernail and hooking them that way.