Castrating alone

[mnbryant2001]

Working mon-fri and getting home in the dark makes it hard to do day old bulls. Getting them up one a month it two is easier. I have a manual Big Valley chute. Big how doi keep them from kicking alone? Or can I? My wife works weekends so a tail holder is hard to come by. I'm 43 so hog tieing younger ones is possible. But I forgot how to do that 20 years ago. Also does anyone use a calf table? That purchase is possible in the future. I took them over when dad became unable to walk a year ago and it's been interesting to get things set up to do everything alone.
Ill be castrating with a newberry knife as well.

 

[I luv herfrds]

We use a bander on the bulls after they have had that first suck. Only concern is momma getting in our face.
Banded my bum calf with the big rubber bander after he was 5 months old. Just put him in the head catch and the vet did him. Gave him a shot for tetanus and he was off and going.

You know you would kick too if someone was removing your cods with a knife.

We use our calf table for branding but you could use it to cut them too depending on how big they are.

 

[Anonymous]

Either a calf table or a smaller squeeze meant for goats and pigs. Cutting by yourself is possible but not easy

 

[dun]

I saw a deal like a chinese finger trap with a rope on the end that a guy used to hold the tails straight up. Work the finger (tail) trap over the tail pretty close to the base then pull the rope up and tie it off in the top of the cute.

 

[Dave]

I have used two different methods and both work well for me.
On one I put a spring clamp on a rope. Run the rope through a pulley above the chute and tie about 20-40 pounds of iron on the end of the rope. I hold the tail up and put the clamp on it. The rope is measured so that the weight is off the ground when in use. In effect you have a tail holder.
On smaller (2 month old or so) calves. I run them into a small pen (8x12). I rope both back feet. I take a wrap around the top of a post. I pull up on the rope until I have the back feet at about back level. Tie off the rope. Tip the calf over and kneel on its neck. Done right the hindquarters should be a couple inches off the ground. The back feet are being held by the calf's own weight. You can do what ever you want to him at this point. Go to Ranchers.net and search for Soapweed's branding gizmo. It is the same therory but without pulley, clamp, and the horse power.
I have used both of these methods successfully but I try to limit to a few calves. When I work the big bunch in the spring I make sure I have help.

 

[Nite Hawk]

One dairy farm where I worked had an extremely rank cow, and usually one had to get help to hold the tail while the other person put the machine on. The herdsman finally got where he would crank the tail up and over and tie the tail to the cows head, and paralyze her that way. Never had much success myself though, as it seemed the tail would always twist to the side and animals would become "un-paralyzed".
When working with larger wild calves in a calf table, we would try to carefully snag the hind feet with a rope and stretch them out, and tie them off, but then again there was more than one person helping...

 

[iowafarmer]

You could also look into trying one of those immobilizer tools. The one that you clamp onto their lip and stick the other end in their butt and it uses electricity to hold them still, doesn't hurt them any according to the adds. Uses a low current to keep them still. No idea if they work or not and have no experience with them but its an idea to look into.

 

[Anonymous]

You could also look into trying one of those immobilizer tools. The one that you clamp onto their lip and stick the other end in their butt and it uses electricity to hold them still, doesn't hurt them any according to the adds. Uses a low current to keep them still. No idea if they work or not and have no experience with them but its an idea to look into.

The mental picture on that is rather amusing and disturbing at the same time

 

[Bigfoot]

I think banding alone is easier than cutting alone. Either way seems I am always alone. I've welded a couple pieces of cold roll on some slip joint channel locks to grab bottom of scrotum. That keeps my free hand at a safe distance. It makes the tail seem like its not in the way as bad. You might try it. You don't have to have nearly as clear of view with them. I position approximately where I want to cut.

 

[cow pollinater]

Vaccinate them first, then brand then cut. That way most of the imediate fight is gone byt the time you get down there.
In a chute, just stand up by their front legs and keep your arm up close to their belly and then get in there and HANG ON. They might get lucky and get a leg up high enough to get you but a good yank will stop most of it. Once you get the scrotum cut you've pretty much won but you still have to be carefull. Sometimes they'll fall down and that makes it easy because they're still caught but layed out in front of you in a position that doesn't lend itself to kicking with any accuracy.
I do most of my calves on a table since I'm usually by myself and I haven't found a way to keep from getting kicked with most tables. I've seen a few tables that had a ratcheting pulley with a rope that would hold the legs but you almost needed another guy just to get them hooked up once they were on the table. Instead I use the same method as I do for the chute. :lol:

 

[snake67]

Working mon-fri and getting home in the dark makes it hard to do day old bulls. Getting them up one a month it two is easier. I have a manual Big Valley chute. Big how doi keep them from kicking alone? Or can I? My wife works weekends so a tail holder is hard to come by. I'm 43 so hog tieing younger ones is possible. But I forgot how to do that 20 years ago. Also does anyone use a calf table? That purchase is possible in the future. I took them over when dad became unable to walk a year ago and it's been interesting to get things set up to do everything alone.
Ill be castrating with a newberry knife as well.

Well, I am a lot older than you - not quite - but almost old enough to be your daddy - so the age thing is a no brainer. LOL

If I read your comment on the age of the calf correctly - because I think there is a bit of a typo - you are doing them at about a month or two old?

I just reach under them with a pair of surgical scissors and cut off the bottom 1/3 of the bag, the nuts fall right down and I grip the testicals between my index finger and my middle finger - and my middle finger and my ring finger and pull straight down - both nuts at the same time - they come out with minimal bleeding and little to no kicking - the calf just hunches up and I go to work.

Been doing this for a long time now - ever since a veterinarian showed me one day a few years ago.

You might try it - it works well

If you are really concerned give them a shot of Lidocaine first - guarantees they do not feel a thing and do not give you any grief.

Cheers

Bez

 

[Jogeephus]

Once my help didn't show and I had the calves seperated and ready to work so I wasn't about to repeat all that so I took some baling string and put a girth hitch in it and tied each tail in the air. It worked really well till I got sloppy and began simply wrapping the loose end around the top of the chute so I didn't have to untie it. For the most part this worked but on one it didn't and the tail came loose and gave me some problems. Other than that, it worked better than I would have expected.

I'm with Bez on the method. I use a razor but by cutting the cap off the nuts fall and this also allows for drainage.

 

[kenny thomas]

You could also look into trying one of those immobilizer tools. The one that you clamp onto their lip and stick the other end in their butt and it uses electricity to hold them still, doesn't hurt them any according to the adds. Uses a low current to keep them still. No idea if they work or not and have no experience with them but its an idea to look into.

I cut calves up to about 400lb by myself and even had a topic about the same thing a couple years ago. I like the idea of the immobilizer unit. And it can be used for anything that you need the cow or calf to stand still. I have seen it used a lot when dehorning cows. Worked real good.

 

[iowafarmer]

Here is what I was talking about. http://www.cattleimmobilizer.com/index.htm

 

[kenny thomas]

Same concept, I think the one I used was a Stok Stil. I like this one. Worth a try.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

My first thought to the title castrating alone, made me think i never do it without atleast one bull present.

 

[Jogeephus]

My first thought to the title castrating alone, made me think i never do it without atleast one bull present.

Yes, I think it would become painfully obvious after the first one hit the dirt but then again it might take the second before some realized they were doing it wrong. Or maybe not.

 

[dun]

Years ago with cakves up to a couple of months, I would leg them down, put one rear leg on/over my shoulder and pretty much stand on the other rear leg. Got the crap kicked out of me but then I was tough (and stupid) and got the job done.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Years ago with cakves up to a couple of months, I would leg them down, put one rear leg on/over my shoulder and pretty much stand on the other rear leg. Got the crap kicked out of me but then I was tough (and stupid) and got the job done.

determination had left its marks on me as well dun.

 

[jcarkie]

I grab a little 2 month old thinking i'll do this real quick. he pulled me off balance and kicked me right between the eyes as I fell forward cut me under my eye and left a hoof print in my forehead, plus a big headache. when I got the bleeding to stop I made sure he was done with a vengeance.