Banding - Too Young??

[Just Curious]

In another thread calves around four months were discussed...
Can you band too young? I mean like dogs, their testicles don't drop right away and nuetering isn't generally done until they are about 4 months...
And as long as we are on the subject... Has anyone tried banding a pooch???

 

[NamVet_Farmer44]

I dont think i'd band a "pooch"...unlike cattle, they can reach the band with their teeth and they'd probably end up biting their testicles off before the band had time to work :shock:

 

[Just Curious]

I dont think i'd band a "pooch"...unlike cattle, they can reach the band with their teeth and they'd probably end up biting their testicles off before the band had time to work :shock:

ROTFLMAO...
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
This thread belongs in the coffee shop.....

 

[randiliana]

Most of our calves are banded between 12 and 18 hours old. Pretty much anything that doesn't have them down at that time will need surgery in the end anyways. As for a dog, I wouldn't do it.

 

[msscamp]

In another thread calves around four months were discussed...
Can you band too young?

No, you can't band too young. The age at which a calf is banded depends entirely on the individual operation and their goals.

I mean like dogs, their testicles don't drop right away and nuetering isn't generally done until they are about 4 months...
And as long as we are on the subject... Has anyone tried banding a pooch???

There are a lot of folks that band/castrate at birth, hence blowing your theory of their testicals not dropping until 4 months of age completely out of the water. We band/castrate at a month or two (we start calving mid-March, and brand mid-May), further blowing your theory out of the water. You are talking about two completely different species with completely different purposes - banding a dog is cruel and inhumane in my honest opinion.

 

[Bama]

Only time to early to band is if its still in the cow. And thats only because you can't see what your doing nearly as well. You can band a few hours after birth with no problem. I have never banded a dog either but I have cut a cat when I was just a kid. The procedure involves a rubber boot, I'll let you figure it out. Darn good cat after that. Big and fluffy and it didn't have the urge to visit all the other cats after that. I also cut a rooster once, Its more of a surgery than cutting. Rooster died after about a week. I reckon he just didn't have anything to live for after that. Who said farm boys didn't have any entertainment.

 

[Just Curious]

I also cut a rooster once, Its more of a surgery than cutting. Rooster died after about a week. I reckon he just didn't have anything to live for after that. Who said farm boys didn't have any entertainment.

Reminded me a fellow I met once in our local hardware store... I wandered by as he was looking at files... Asked me if I knew anything about them, so I asked what it was he wanted to use it for.... He told me that he had this parrot that would always bite the crap out of him and he told me that he wanted to file its beak off... Well knowing a little bit about parrots, I told him that the bird would probably starve to death if he did that since they use their beaks to crack open the food that they eat. Well this fellow thought that since the bird was as mean as it was, nothing that simple would kill it... He selected a file and off he went...
Well, as luck would have it, I ran into this fellow again a few weeks later and asked... "Hey remember me? I was the guy that you asked about files a few weeks back... How's that bird doing?" Oh.... That bird died, he replied... See, I told you he would starve to death if you filed his beak off... To which this fellow replied, "Naw.... He didn't starve to death, he was already dead when I took his head out of the vise...."

 

[Just Curious]

There are a lot of folks that band/castrate at birth, hence blowing your theory of their testicals not dropping until 4 months of age completely out of the water. We band/castrate at a month or two (we start calving mid-March, and brand mid-May), further blowing your theory out of the water. You are talking about two completely different species with completely different purposes - banding a dog is cruel and inhumane in my honest opinion.

It isn't any theory I am exploring... I'm Just Curious about what other folks think... I banded this year when my bull calves were about a month old...
If ya can see the testicles, they can be banded might have been a more direct route to answering the question
As far as banding a dog... I find it interesting and wonder how, when, and where folks draw their lines... Why would you think it less cruel or less humane to band calves??? Is it because you let your dog in the house and not your calves? Is it because the calves "Show" less sensitivity than a dog might? Is it because your calving bands are too large for your little Toto?
If it's any concellation, you're among the 100% that has never tried or would ever consider banding their pooch that I know about...

 

[msscamp]

There are a lot of folks that band/castrate at birth, hence blowing your theory of their testicals not dropping until 4 months of age completely out of the water. We band/castrate at a month or two (we start calving mid-March, and brand mid-May), further blowing your theory out of the water. You are talking about two completely different species with completely different purposes - banding a dog is cruel and inhumane in my honest opinion.

It isn't any theory I am exploring... I'm Just Curious about what other folks think...

In my personal experience, anytime one gets curious about what other folks are thinking one is exploring theories.

As far as banding a dog... I find it interesting and wonder how, when, and where folks draw their lines... Why would you think it less cruel or less humane to band calves??? Is it because you let your dog in the house and not your calves? Is it because the calves "Show" less sensitivity than a dog might? Is it because your calving bands are too large for your little Toto?
If it's any concellation, you're among the 100% that has never tried or would ever consider banding their pooch that I know about...

Having never been a dog, cat, calf, or cow I cannot say this with any definity (sp?), but I'm thinking it has to do with the hardiness of the particular species and what they were designed to do in their lifetime. Dogs are designed to be companion animals with a particular job - be it companionship or a working job - depending on their breed. Cattle were designed to be beasts of burden or food animals. One cannot really compare a dog with cattle, now can they? There are simply too many differences. It has nothing to do with the fact that one may come inside while the other is confined to a corral or pen, because I've had more than my fair share of calves on my porch, and some dogs never see the inside of a house. You're comparing apples to oranges with your speculations.

 

[jgn]

I band as early as possible and have banded several before they were completely dry from being born. Just make sure you feel two and do it. Much easier to band a calf that is only a few hours old and doesn't have a clue whats going on than older one thats got that don't come near me complex.

 

[Family Tradition]

To add to BAMA's post for those that didn't know and those that forgot a cut rooster

capon >noun a castrated domestic cock fattened for eating.
-ORIGIN Old French, from Latin capo.

 

[Bobg]

In the past I've banded them when they were four months old, used a headcatch to hold them. But, since I have less help now, only myself, I band then when they are less than 24 hours old.

Bobg

 

[cypressfarms]

I like to band as early as possible. I have been known to throw a newborn in the back of the truck and band and tag it before the mom knows what's going on. If you walk up to a brand new calf, they generally don't immediately run away like a week old calf will.

 

[sidney411]

There is a particular dog that wanders around here that wouldn't still be here if he didn't belong to one of our good neighbors. (long story) Anyway, I would have already banded his stupid a$$ if I had a bander, but I don't so I can't attest to it it would indeed work. I've thought about cutting him myself but he's pretty big and I'm the only one around here that would aprove of such a practice. :lol:

 

[Dusty Britches]

I use a knife as soon as I catch them. Usually within a week they are completely healed.

While I have never banded a dog, I know several people who have successfully done it. These are people who are too cheap to pay a vet to do it.

 

[Just Curious]

While I have never banded a dog, I know several people who have successfully done it. These are people who are too cheap to pay a vet to do it.

We just had our bitch and two of her pups nutralized... The dog cost $76.00 and the two females were $99.00 each... Too cheap? Could you imagine paying $76.00 for each of your bull calves?? And if that's not enough incentive, could you imagine just having to go catch all of them and take 'em down to the vet too!

 

[Dusty Britches]

So, you advocate doing it yourself?

Or, do you advocate letting someone keep non-neutered dogs and letting them breed everything? That's what my neighbors do - let their dogs breed everything. And they won't worm them or vaccinate them. They look terrible. And, these are the same people who have in the past gotten mad at their dogs and banded them.

If you want to own dogs or any other animal, accept responsibility for it and take care of it. Accept that if it is not neutered, you have responsibility for the babies.

btw - i called my vet, just out of curiosity, and asked how much he charges to castrate calves - $8 for the 1st three and $5 for every one after that. He said some people do bring all of their calves in. :shock: Dogs - $45. Cats $45.

 

[preston39]

Only time to early to band is if its still in the cow. And thats only because you can't see what your doing nearly as well. You can band a few hours after birth with no problem. I have never banded a dog either but I have cut a cat when I was just a kid. The procedure involves a rubber boot, I'll let you figure it out. Darn good cat after that. Big and fluffy and it didn't have the urge to visit all the other cats after that. I also cut a rooster once, Its more of a surgery than cutting. Rooster died after about a week. I reckon he just didn't have anything to live for after that. Who said farm boys didn't have any entertainment.

======
Bama...,
As a respector of your posts...a question.

New studies strongly suggest bull calfs should be left intact for 30 days or so before shipment. Better converson of rations (natural hormones intact),more growthy. We also believe we have a more docile animal to raise to the point of sale.

Also, feedlot interests around here lean toward wanting the remains of the sac intact from knife castration to help determine fat during the feeding out process. Dockings are occuring at the local sale barns where the sac is cut off and/or banding has occured.

This may be a regional thing. Local buyers should be consulted with.

Vast majority of our producst from the commercial efforts are sold directly to feed lots. We knife castrate the bulls 5-7 weeks before shipment. These guys are big, strong and don't like the process.You must have the facilities and we use an animal immobolizer which counters these objections.

We are convinced we get better growth from rations spent and the feed lots like it.

Any thoughts from your area?

 

[Bama]

Only time I get docked is if it has just been done, either cutting or banding. If everthing is healed I don't get docked. I sell some of em as bulls and don't notice much of a differance there either. Leaving em bulls will add to their growth but it can also be a hassel if they spend all of their time bragging to all of the other bulls how much tougher they are. After a while they get interested in the cute little heifers and spend more time trying to impress them than eating. Most of the time I just band when convenient, or cut if banding never got convenient. I like them eating in the pasture without worrying about that other bull or the cute little heifer. [/quote]

 

[dun]

I wasss told by a couple of different feedlot operators that the reaon they didn;t like banded calves is because of the incidence of stags. The local 4H/FFA has a standard rule that all steers must be knife cut. They had a problem with people in the past intentionally leaving one nut for more growth. We're lucky that our vet is on the fair board and vouvhes for our calves that even though most are banded that they don;t have a retained nut.
It's gotten to the point now that it isn;t even a issue for us.

dun