Castrating a bull
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Hpacres440p
Well-known member
It's a Henderson tool-clamp that attaches to a cordless drill to spin the exposed testicles instead of pull and cut. I think Buck had a video posted last year somewhere.
crossbreed
Well-known member
Last 2 large calves we had missed to the vet. Used this procedure and not a drop of blood. Bad swelling for a week though so I was not a fan
There are videos online if you do a search. It is called the Henderson castrating tool. It clamps to the cord then you spin it off. Valley Vet has them and a little info.
I'm like you not a fan at this time. They laid around 4-5 days. But again a small sample.
Travlr
Well-known member
I've seen plenty of large, up to 800 pound bulls castrated... and never saw one done by twisting the testicle until the fibers broke. But I've seen them done by pulling them until they broke. I've seen them stretched and cut. And I've seen them stretched and the knife scraped back and forth until the cords snapped. None of those other methods resulted in unusual swelling or days of recuperation.
Yeah, I don't think a drill is a good idea just because it does a job. I wouldn't use a big drill in a slaughter house to twist heads off, either.
Down in Dixie
Well-known member
Bought some cheap 5 wt bull calves this spring and had the vet castrate them while we were doing vaccinations. He used the drill method with no bad side effects. Some very minor swelling but no effect on them laying around and not eating.
GoWyo
Well-known member
I have a emasculator/cutter that a lady who had goats gave me. On the bigger bull calves at branding I will use it. It crushes the animal side cord and cuts the nut side. Minimal bleeding. Haven't used it on a 6-10 month old calf because have just banded them when the vet was out for other work, but would think if cutting them standing would be better than twisting them off with the drill attachment. Pulling and knife scrape kinda does the same thing as the cutter/emasculator.
crossbreed
Well-known member
I'd heard of this vet using the method, sounded odd but I needed them worked. Don't think I would ever get it done that way again. Mine didn't lay around but swelling as I said and off their grain for 4-5 days and just stood around
The guy Clay works for raises 1000+- claves a year, form weaning til they are long yearlings. About 500 of these are bull calves. He has 400 brood cows and buys the other 600 from folks he has furnished a bull to. When get gets them to his place to wean, at 6 months or more, most of these had not been steered. They are 500 lbs and up., He gets them all in his working pens, and runs them down the chute to his head gate. He uses a single edge razor blade and cuts off the bottom of the scrotum. The testicles are pulled out , and cut with the razor blade as high up the chord as he can get. Then he sprays them with the yellow, blue or red spray ,and lets them out into the corral until they are all cut. He does one in less than a minute. Very little blood, and dunno about the swelling, but Mike says that's why he cuts the bottom of the scrotum off..to let it drain good and hold down the swelling. His dogs are setting there waiting on him to toss them the piece of scrotum and the mountain oysters, like barn cats when you are hand-milking a cow.
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
Warren - that's how we do it. I band at birth the ones I know I want steered, but anything over about 2 months, we cut as you described. I tail them, nephew cuts.
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
sent you a PM
When the Corrs have calves, we band them all at one time, and they will anywhere from a day to 3 or 4 weeks old. And I have heeled them and drug them over to Scott, who bands them laying down. But that LH x Braunveih steer who is 400 lbs or more, we will cut him like that. I don't think it even hurts them all that much...it is done so quick. And, they seem to do as well as far as complications like swelling, as the banded calves do.
Hpacres440p
Well-known member
Did one yesterday using the Black and Decker-there are definitely technique differences between different vets. One went really fast (3 years ago)-zing! Flying nuts. One last year didn't get the clamp locked in the chock very well and went really slow-some bleeding and swelling afterwards. Yesterday the vet went medium speed and all good-calf is up at the hay hanging out with everyone else.
Lucky_P
Well-known member
I grew up cutting the bottom of the scrotum off, pulling the testicles out until the cord broke. If little 'strings' were hanging, I wrapped them around my finger and pulled until they broke.
When I was a 3rd year veterinary student, I found one of our own steers, which I had knife-cut 2 weeks earlier, 'sawhorsed' out in the pasture with tetanus. IDK if 8- or 9-way clostridial bacterin/toxoids, containing tetanus toxoid, were available then, but I'm pretty sure my dad & uncle bought the cheapest stuff they could find.
After that event, I preferred emasculating them with the Burdizzo, and continued that in my own herd for the next 40 years. If I had clients who wanted theirs knife-cut, I did them that way, but I'd say well over 75% of bulls I've 'castrated' in my day were done with a Burdizzo... whether they were newborns (I have a 9" model) or 500-pounders (19" model) .
When I was a 3rd year veterinary student, I found one of our own steers, which I had knife-cut 2 weeks earlier, 'sawhorsed' out in the pasture with tetanus. IDK if 8- or 9-way clostridial bacterin/toxoids, containing tetanus toxoid, were available then, but I'm pretty sure my dad & uncle bought the cheapest stuff they could find.
After that event, I preferred emasculating them with the Burdizzo, and continued that in my own herd for the next 40 years. If I had clients who wanted theirs knife-cut, I did them that way, but I'd say well over 75% of bulls I've 'castrated' in my day were done with a Burdizzo... whether they were newborns (I have a 9" model) or 500-pounders (19" model) .
