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[wierd]

I saw the mention of capons on wikipedia, but I didn't have much information on birds so I just left them off.  I still don't know much about how practical or period it is, though it's referred to as an old thing, or how much it extends to the other birds...  or alligator pets and so on.

Caponised roosters are definitely documented to before 1600, Your Grace. Apparently it's not a difficult operation, if you know what to look for. I agree that a rooster doesn't have any obvious external genitalia, but I assume that's mostly due to feathers, which hide a multitude of sins. In the modern world, we tend to chemically caponise roosters, which is why blokes who eat enough of the cheaper chicken on the market get a bit much Estrogen. There are farmers out there who do use the old method of caponising a rooster, and having eaten such, I can attest to the bird being larger, fatter, and more tasty than his ballsy brothers. He also grew slightly more slowly. I presume it was due to a low level of testosterone.

chickens reproduce via seminal exchange using a "cloacal kiss".  basically, birds have a multi-purpose orifice called a cloaca, through which waste is eliminated, eggs get laid, and sexual intercourse is performed.  in many species of waterfowl,  an actual penis is hidden inside the cloaca, such as in ducks and geese, but not in chickens, which do not have any penetrating organ hidden inside.  instead, seminal fluid is transfered to the female by pressing the rooster's cloaca against the female's cloaca, and squirting it in.

sexing a chicken chick is a very unique skill. there is a slight anatomical difference in the shape of the cloaca, but is not always readily apparent, and can be ambiguous.

yay for growing up on a farm. 

[smeeprocket]

*inserts video of male baby chicks being ground alive*

I always wondered how they figured out which was which before turning on the grinder. :?.

[Thisfox]

I saw the mention of capons on wikipedia, but I didn't have much information on birds so I just left them off.  I still don't know much about how practical or period it is, though it's referred to as an old thing, or how much it extends to the other birds...  or alligator pets and so on.

Caponised roosters are definitely documented to before 1600, Your Grace. Apparently it's not a difficult operation, if you know what to look for. I agree that a rooster doesn't have any obvious external genitalia, but I assume that's mostly due to feathers, which hide a multitude of sins. In the modern world, we tend to chemically caponise roosters, which is why blokes who eat enough of the cheaper chicken on the market get a bit much Estrogen. There are farmers out there who do use the old method of caponising a rooster, and having eaten such, I can attest to the bird being larger, fatter, and more tasty than his ballsy brothers. He also grew slightly more slowly. I presume it was due to a low level of testosterone.

yay for growing up on a farm.

Me too, but we didn't bother sexing our chicks. We just waited, then ate the ones that started their crowing cycle. Even without crowing, they're pretty easy to identify at edible size. And it's ridiculously easy to identify a steer, which was more of the identity of our farm. Beef is the thing. Being in an Australian location, and having regulations a kilometre long, we didn't slaughter or de-ball our stock, so I never really paid much attention, but caponising was a fascinating thing I've learned about when spending time with medievalists.

I'm going to assume that gelding is a roleplaying feature, and leave it at that. Cool that it is a thing, in this excellent game which I honestly love playing. I will no doubt use it, depending on the goals of my fort at the time. But I'll continue to slaughter stock rather than gelding it, if I just don't need the cows to get pregnant this year.

[Broseph Stalin]

Me too, but we didn't bother sexing our chicks. We just waited, then ate the ones that started their crowing cycle. Even without crowing, they're pretty easy to identify at edible size. And it's ridiculously easy to identify a steer, which was more of the identity of our farm. Beef is the thing. Being in an Australian location, and having regulations a kilometre long, we didn't slaughter or de-ball our stock, so I never really paid much attention, but caponising was a fascinating thing I've learned about when spending time with medievalists.

I'm going to assume that gelding is a roleplaying feature, and leave it at that. Cool that it is a thing, in this excellent game which I honestly love playing. I will no doubt use it, depending on the goals of my fort at the time. But I'll continue to slaughter stock rather than gelding it, if I just don't need the cows to get pregnant this year.

This is a bull.

   [BODY_SIZE:0:0:100000]
   [BODY_SIZE:1:0:250000]
   [BODY_SIZE:2:0:600000]

It takes one year to reach sexual maturity but at that point it's not even half it's full size. If you want to exploit it's tasty bullflesh to the fullest you want it to live for at least two years. But what if this is a bad bull? Say it's super skinny or weak, you don't want that guy getting all your other cows pregnant while you wait for him to reach edible size. You can geld all your bulls awaiting the chopping block but leave your genetically perfect breeder untouched. If gelding works on pets that's a x2 superawesome bonus because catsplosions are no longer a thing.

[kleril]

If gelding works on pets that's a x2 superawesome bonus because catsplosions are no longer a thing.

Oh man I hadn't even thought of that implication. This is huge. Huge, I tell you! Gonna check if this is a thing right away.

Edit: Yep, it's a thing. Choppin' everyone's junk off!

[Urist Tilaturist]

If gelding works on pets that's a x2 superawesome bonus because catsplosions are no longer a thing.

Oh man I hadn't even thought of that implication. This is huge. Huge, I tell you! Gonna check if this is a thing right away.

Edit: Yep, it's a thing. Choppin' everyone's junk off!

If you do that you will have no animals at all. Keep your best breeders intact.

[smeeprocket]

Me too, but we didn't bother sexing our chicks. We just waited, then ate the ones that started their crowing cycle. Even without crowing, they're pretty easy to identify at edible size. And it's ridiculously easy to identify a steer, which was more of the identity of our farm. Beef is the thing. Being in an Australian location, and having regulations a kilometre long, we didn't slaughter or de-ball our stock, so I never really paid much attention, but caponising was a fascinating thing I've learned about when spending time with medievalists.

I'm going to assume that gelding is a roleplaying feature, and leave it at that. Cool that it is a thing, in this excellent game which I honestly love playing. I will no doubt use it, depending on the goals of my fort at the time. But I'll continue to slaughter stock rather than gelding it, if I just don't need the cows to get pregnant this year.

This is a bull.

   [BODY_SIZE:0:0:100000]
   [BODY_SIZE:1:0:250000]
   [BODY_SIZE:2:0:600000]

It takes one year to reach sexual maturity but at that point it's not even half it's full size. If you want to exploit it's tasty bullflesh to the fullest you want it to live for at least two years. But what if this is a bad bull? Say it's super skinny or weak, you don't want that guy getting all your other cows pregnant while you wait for him to reach edible size. You can geld all your bulls awaiting the chopping block but leave your genetically perfect breeder untouched. If gelding works on pets that's a x2 superawesome bonus because catsplosions are no longer a thing.

I've been slaughtering the babies this whole time. Of course, that was mostly because I was getting tired of all the breeding. But now I will have more control over it.

[Chimerat]

This is a bull.

   [BODY_SIZE:0:0:100000]
   [BODY_SIZE:1:0:250000]
   [BODY_SIZE:2:0:600000]

It takes one year to reach sexual maturity but at that point it's not even half it's full size. If you want to exploit it's tasty bullflesh to the fullest you want it to live for at least two years. But what if this is a bad bull? Say it's super skinny or weak, you don't want that guy getting all your other cows pregnant while you wait for him to reach edible size. You can geld all your bulls awaiting the chopping block but leave your genetically perfect breeder untouched. If gelding works on pets that's a x2 superawesome bonus because catsplosions are no longer a thing.

I've been slaughtering the babies this whole time. Of course, that was mostly because I was getting tired of all the breeding. But now I will have more control over it.

I've always waited until the males reached maturity in the past before slaughtering, but that second-year thing makes this even more important.

Unfortunately, I'm one of those people who can only function with Dwarf Therapist to help me along, and the emotion update put the brakes on that (very much understandably).

I suppose I can still sort the males into a different field until/unless we can nickname animals to ensure I don't geld the wrong one. (That, or I'd have to make the breeder males into pets and leave then in the field with the females... I prefer not to makes livestock pets due to the joy of Goblins killing livestock...

[pisskop]

^^Inside.  Dig out your own private mushroom reserve and let the moocows frolic within.

[Chimerat]

^^Inside.  Dig out your own private mushroom reserve and let the moocows frolic within.

Plants are not prone to grow where/when I want them to indoors...

[Broseph Stalin]

Plants are not prone to grow where/when I want them to indoors...

This is my solution.

http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-11647-arrowstockades

[slink]

I didn't even realize there was a difference from animal to animal genetically.

I hadn't until a few weeks/months ago when someone made a passing comment about how I seemed like the sort who would be focused on selective breeding programs. I asked if that was possible in DF and apparently it involved the descriptive lines. So far I think my animals are always "gigantic" but some dogs are more muscular than others, and so on. The other problem is that you might accidentally geld your only hetero-/bisexual male and thus have no chance to breed...

The animals are homosexual also???

[Broseph Stalin]

The animals are homosexual also???

Yep. My last fort got off to a rocky start because my pigs wouldn't breed.

[Magistrum]

I haven't come across homosexuality yet this release... Is this not very common? Does it appears in the thoughts and preferences of a dwarf? Or the animal status? Also, homosexual animals!?

[smeeprocket]

Animals can be homosexual. But it's not generally as common as it is in dwarf fortress. I thought some were just sterile, but Dwarf Therapist can supposedly show you the sexuality of your animals. Two of the three represented sexualities will allow baby making, but there is also this problem with some animals wanting to be in a monogamous marriage sort of situation. I'm going to assume that's a bug unless animal marriage is coming to DF soon.