castrating

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both are very easy, once you restrain the calf. I can cut just as fast as I can band. I prefer to cut because there is no doubt that he is castrated. And, the buyers at the sale barn know for sure, too.

btw - I see the buyers at the sale barn as my customer. If they prefer one thing, then it is my job to give them what they want. Our buyers prefer knife castrated, polled, good conditioned, calm, weaned calves. Well, 4 out of 5 ain't bad.
 
Dusty Britches":3cn4vk3b said:
both are very easy, once you restrain the calf. I can cut just as fast as I can band. I prefer to cut because there is no doubt that he is castrated. And, the buyers at the sale barn know for sure, too.

btw - I see the buyers at the sale barn as my customer. If they prefer one thing, then it is my job to give them what they want. Our buyers prefer knife castrated, polled, good conditioned, calm, weaned calves. Well, 4 out of 5 ain't bad.

Is there a procedure you like to do with the cut method? I have seen the vet do it alot, but seeing and doing are 2 different things. Any instructions?

I have a calf restrainer, and thought of raising up a group of bull calves, castrating them, to sell next spring, any instructions would be helpful.

Thanks

GMN
 
The only thing my Father always like to see was not to use a sharp knife. He would cut tip of the bag off pull down a testicle strip down the cord and use a up and down shaving motion to cut through the cord not just a straight whack. This severs the cord so it is in small strands and heals back quicker. Watched him do it lot on ranches in West Texas. I don't know if makes any difference but that's the way I was taught. I was always on the head or streching em out.
 
I actually throw them and tie their legs. I do it when they are less than 2 weeks old, preferrably right after birth. The older they are, the harder it is on you and them. It's like docking tails on puppies - do it when they are born and there will only be a spot of blood. Wait, and it become a medical procedure at the vet's.

I cut the bottom 1/2 to 2/3 of the sack off, then pull the testicles out about 3-4 inches so I can easily access the cords. Then I use the back of my knife to scrape the cords apart or I just rip them apart with my hands. Don't cut them.
Then I spray iodine on the cut. Once you do one or 2 it gets really easy. Just 3 or 4 steps.

That's just what I do.

When you do their 3-4 month vaccinations, but at least 6 weeks before you sell them, give them a growth hormone. They will more than make up the weight difference of not being a bull. If you band them - don't use implants. If one testicle slids back through, it will cause a lot of problems.

How many do you have and how old are they?
 
Family Tradition":398viykw said:
The only thing my Father always like to see was not to use a sharp knife. He would cut tip of the bag off pull down a testicle strip down the cord and use a up and down shaving motion to cut through the cord not just a straight whack. This severs the cord so it is in small strands and heals back quicker. Watched him do it lot on ranches in West Texas. I don't know if makes any difference but that's the way I was taught. I was always on the head or streching em out.

When we used to cut that was the method we used. Now the prefered method is to pull each testicle until it pulls loose. That's the vet preferred methid, not mine

dun
 
I might be wrong-- but I don't think a testicle can "slip back" through a properly placed band.
It was just a bad counting job.


I can't see how implanting would impact a good band job.
 
Howdyjabo":2su0zwl9 said:
I might be wrong-- but I don't think a testicle can "slip back" through a properly placed band.

They can't. What happens is as the band is released from the fingers on the bander one nut may pop up above the band. That's the reason to count to 2 after the band is in place and to have a set of dykes handy to cut the band off if you don;t count both below the band.

dun
 
GMN":3no26uxj said:
How hard is it to band, and or castrate with a knife on young bull calves?

GMN

If the calf is properly restrained and one knows what they are doing, it takes about 2 minutes for either method assuming both testicles are descended. If one testicle has not descended, then it takes a few more minutes to work it down to where it should be.
 
I don't know if alot of yall use nuberry cutters or not it has made catration alot easier on me and the calf I started using them last year and have castrated 600-700 calves with them. After you pull the cutter through the sack both testical are easy to remove and it heals up real nice. the only problem I see is when cutting a large bull 450-550 lbs. it will bunch the sack up at the end and not cut all the way through then I just take a razor and remove the bottom portion of the sack. The other remarkable thing is there is very little blood involved.
 
We started a few months ago useing a Newberry--
We LOVE it.
Its much easier on the calves and hubby :)

On the big calves--- take a pair of locking vice grips
Grab hold of the bottom of the sack. Pull down.
Then cut

Its real nice on the big guys- cause when there is excess swelling cutting the bag on both sides lets the pressure split the bag open to drain.
 
Family Tradition":l8yykhc2 said:
The only thing my Father always like to see was not to use a sharp knife. He would cut tip of the bag off pull down a testicle strip down the cord and use a up and down shaving motion to cut through the cord not just a straight whack. This severs the cord so it is in small strands and heals back quicker. Watched him do it lot on ranches in West Texas. I don't know if makes any difference but that's the way I was taught. I was always on the head or streching em out.

My daddy, grand-daddy and most of the other old cowboys I grew up around always said that the cruelest thing in the world was a dull knife at branding (castrating) time.Z
 
My daddy, grand-daddy and most of the other old cowboys I grew up around always said that the cruelest thing in the world was a dull knife at branding (castrating) time.Z[/quote]

My grandfother said the same thing. He had a special knife honed to play a tune for that day then put up in his special place until needed for the same function next year.
 
toby":3up18ggp said:
My daddy, grand-daddy and most of the other old cowboys I grew up around always said that the cruelest thing in the world was a dull knife at branding (castrating) time.Z

My grandfother said the same thing. He had a special knife honed to play a tune for that day then put up in his special place until needed for the same function next year.[/quote]

Can't be any crueler than cutting them in the first place or pulling them off as some have suggested. lol
 
I like to cut at branding time because then I dont need to give a shot for tetnus
 
I read an article a few years ago about banding just the bag and pushing the testicles up into the body cavity. it was suppose to make them grow faster but make them sterile.
Any one use this method before and does it work??
 
cowspider":3qnz2u6d said:
I read an article a few years ago about banding just the bag and pushing the testicles up into the body cavity. it was suppose to make them grow faster but make them sterile.
Any one use this method before and does it work??

It doesn;t work. You still have all of the problems of a bull, getting rid of it's nuts isn;t done for appearence sake. It's BS like this that get's the feedlots stirred up about banding vs cutting.

dun
 
Short sacking is not a real good idea with cattle so no one has probably looked into wether or not the improoved gains are there-- THANK GOD

But with sheep and goats who hit market weight before their first year--and whos size makes it less "complicated"=== its been done and it works.
It does cause sterility and you have a better gain.

Its used with sheep to create a teaser ram.

With goats it really has a practical use
Those buggers breed EARLY(3-4 months) -- and early castrating gives more problems with urinary calculi than any other livestock .

Try it on purpose with cattle-- and I'd want to short sack you :)
 
I use a surgeons scalpel with changable blades and a bottle of gentle iodine spray.Also,clean knife with a general disinfectant.
 

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