Banding

[inyati13]

Got a good picture of the band location on this calf. This band has been on about a week. I gave both TET Antitoxin and Toxoid. The toxoid will require another dose in 30 days. As Lucky_P has mentioned, the necrosis due to devitalized tissue and anaerobic conditions can lead to a tetanus issue.

 

[cowgirl8]

We always give tetanus when we castrate. We've been told too, by our vet to do this specially for the bigger calves. We castrate at around 5 months.
And to the people who think that the bigger calves walk around with a rotting sack for a month. They do smell a bit the second week, but after that they dry up. The last 2 weeks of that month the testicles are mummified and dry. When we started banding instead of cutting, we bought this super duper bander with these special bands. Those looked so painful. It has this ratchet like device, crimpers and big rubber tubing...I couldnt stand using them. I started using the small green bands on them and although a little tricky getting them over the bigger calfs nuts, its not impossible. They have a little discomfort for a few hours but go back to being calves before we let them out of the corral..

 

[dun]

We always give tetanus when we castrate. We've been told too, by our vet to do this specially for the bigger calves. We castrate at around 5 months.
And to the people who think that the bigger calves walk around with a rotting sack for a month. They do smell a bit the second week, but after that they dry up. The last 2 weeks of that month the testicles are mummified and dry. When we started banding instead of cutting, we bought this super duper bander with these special bands. Those looked so painful. It has this ratchet like device, crimpers and big rubber tubing...I couldnt stand using them. I started using the small green bands on them and although a little tricky getting them over the bigger calfs nuts, its not impossible. They have a little discomfort for a few hours but go back to being calves before we let them out of the corral..

With one bull we used we had a problem with even month old calves being able to stuff the nust through the cheerio bander. Got a tri-bander, uses surgical tubing rings instead of cheerios and opens up a lot wider but still closes down tight. Been using that for 5-6 years with no problems.

 

[cowgirl8]

I'll use it on something really big, but man that type bander makes me cringe..lol I can get even bulls over a year in those green bands. Never ever had anything i couldnt get in a green band except for a couple of bulls well over a year.

 

[dun]

I'll use it on something really big, but man that type bander makes me cringe..lol I can get even bulls over a year in those green bands. Never ever had anything i couldnt get in a green band except for a couple of bulls well over a year.

The tri-bander isn;t one of those ratchet deals
http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html ... tri-bander

 

[cowgirl8]

Oh, had no idea there was another tubing bander. The Tri-bander is just a bigger post bander. Interesting...Learn something new every day. I may look into one, but, i dont believe i've seen the bands for sale around my area. Are they something you have to order? I'm always low on bands and i can get them in any feed store in my area for 2 bucks a bag...
Have you seen the ratchet type....barbaric if you ask me. Its pretty close to the same as cutting them out, as an animal i'm not sure which i'd pick if given the choice, cut out or ratchet? :hide: And you cut the bands after crimping and my hands are usually sore from being snapped by the cut bands.

 

[dun]

Oh, had no idea there was another tubing bander. The Tri-bander is just a bigger post bander. Interesting...Learn something new every day. I may look into one, but, i dont believe i've seen the bands for sale around my area. Are they something you have to order? I'm always low on bands and i can get them in any feed store in my area for 2 bucks a bag...
Have you seen the ratchet type....barbaric if you ask me. Its pretty close to the same as cutting them out, as an animal i'm not sure which i'd pick if given the choice, cut out or ratchet? :hide: And you cut the bands after crimping and my hands are usually sore from being snapped by the cut bands.

I alwasy just order them from Valley Vet but the local co-op carrys them too

 

[Texas PaPaw]

Have learned when banding, that by cutting a couple of slits thru the scrotum into each testicle they will dry up and fall off in half the time it takes with a band only. Get it over with and healed up a lot quicker this way. No mummies hanging by the cord only. I use a hook blade scalpel to make the slits as soon as band is applied. Give tetanus toxoid at the same time. Have banded a few thousand this way with no problem.

 

[Nesikep]

We've never had a problem banding at a couple days here... but I pay attention to the position of the band... I think you want to make sure there's some slack skin both above and below the band "For maximum comfort".. Have never given a tet shot here... but I won't argue that other places may require it.

I have found the quality of the cheerio bands have degraded, like everything else.. I had one snap as I put it on, and since then I've double-banded.. they also feel a lot easier to open that the old one we had.

I had fun once and put a cheerio band on our roosters beak... bastard could still open it and crow!

 

[Aaron]

As with Dun, I only use the tri-bander rings. Eliminates the possibility of a band breaking, which is very common with the green Cheerios, especially on bigger calves. My plan this year is to band the calves at 4 months, rather than at 1 month.

 

[inyati13]

As with Dun, I only use the tri-bander rings. Eliminates the possibility of a band breaking, which is very common with the green Cheerios, especially on bigger calves. My plan this year is to band the calves at 4 months, rather than at 1 month.

Aaron/dun I looked up the tri-bander. That is what I am looking for. A much better tool.

 

[highgrit]

Cowgirl I see things from a different angle. Banding just drags out the process. I cut on the dark moon and have no problems counting to 2. I have tried both ways and to each their own.

 

[cowgirl8]

Whatever works, not here to change anyone. But another advantage to the way we do it other than they grow bigger, is it only takes one person. When we use to cut, you do have to catch the calves when they are small and it took 3 people and i was always the leg holder. Watching the guys cut into a calf on the ground with the same knife over and over and pulling those testicles out one two and grabbing the nerve and yanking on it was way too much for me to stomach. I watched the calves drag for days. Its brutal having someone throw you down and put a knee into your young neck. I'm sure no one here causes any pain when they castrate by cutting, but i've seen enough cowboys cut a calf to know its not the norm for it to be less stressful than banding. But thats just me....

 

[cowgirl8]

We had a dog once who ate every nut we cut that day, over 100....reminded me of Cool Hand Luke where Paul Newman eats all those eggs.

 

[TexasBred]

Whatever works, not here to change anyone. But another advantage to the way we do it other than they grow bigger, is it only takes one person. When we use to cut, you do have to catch the calves when they are small and it took 3 people and i was always the leg holder. Watching the guys cut into a calf on the ground with the same knife over and over and pulling those testicles out one two and grabbing the nerve and yanking on it was way too much for me to stomach. I watched the calves drag for days. Its brutal having someone throw you down and put a knee into your young neck. I'm sure no one here causes any pain when they castrate by cutting, but i've seen enough cowboys cut a calf to know its not the norm for it to be less stressful than banding. But thats just me....

Learn to cut them standing up. Quick and easy.

 

[cowgirl8]

We have a squeeze chute for cows so put a 150 pound or under calf in there and it wont squeeze up enough. We'd have to rework our corrals for a calf chute and it just wouldnt work. But if your calves are trained to stand, there aint enough time in the day to do with the amount of calves we have. But yeah, if we had a calf chute and a knife, it would be easy. Its not rocket science.

 

[Aaron]

As with Dun, I only use the tri-bander rings. Eliminates the possibility of a band breaking, which is very common with the green Cheerios, especially on bigger calves. My plan this year is to band the calves at 4 months, rather than at 1 month.

Aaron/dun I looked up the tri-bander. That is what I am looking for. A much better tool.

As far as actual banders, I prefer the XL bander, which can do bigger calves than the tri-bander can do, but uses the same rings.

 

[Calhoun Farm]

I'll use it on something really big, but man that type bander makes me cringe..lol I can get even bulls over a year in those green bands. Never ever had anything i couldnt get in a green band except for a couple of bulls well over a year.

The tri-bander isn;t one of those ratchet deals
http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html ... tri-bander

We have this one and the one that uses the green cheerios and for some reason the tri-bander bands have broken a lot more often than than the green ones for us. As mentioned before, we band very young calves but anything over 100lbs gets cut. They also get a tetanus shot to be on the safe side.

The calf on the left (w/o an ear tag) was born in late Sept '13 and was banded at 2days old. He's now 6months old and has been weined since mid Feb'.

 

[Shanghai]

You need to buy new bands atleast once a year and keep them out of the sun and temp changes, some keep them in the refrigerator
Tetanus toxoid takes a couple weeks to build immunity so banding and giving toxoid at the same time is risky
As inyati does and gives both is less risky
Ideally give tetanus toxoid, two weeks later band and boost tetanus

 

[highgrit]

A bull gate installed inside your catch pen in a corner works almost like a Medina gate. We just run the calves into the corner, squeeze them with the gate and work on them. Way to easy on calves less than 200lbs.