Castration - What age and method is best

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mncowboy

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Just checking to see what folks think when it comes to castration, which method works best and at what age?
-Some have said its best to leave them on until a few weeks before weaning to keep your steers from looking like heifers and others have said its best to band them at a few days old to avoid the discomfort and hassle of doing it later.

Who cuts and who bands? Do you use the round "doughnut" band or the ratcheting surgical band style?

Do you feel castration is a must to keep the quality of the meet or is it just to take the "attitude" out of the bull?

-Does a guy do just as well castrating at a younger age and then implanting?
Thanks in advance,
 
We band them upto about 3 months with the cheerio type bander but it uses a heavy ring of surgical tubing (Tri-bander) for older calves we knife cut.
We don;t implant.
Casration is to prevent the young horny bulls from possibly breeding the heifer calves AND because the feedlots dock for bulls.
 
I don't know that there is one "best" method for everyone.

Mine are cut by my vet at the spring workup in May at about 6-8 weeks old. They heal quickly on green grass and no misses. They get first shots, pour on, eartags, weighed and cut in one trip through the chute.

I do not implant my cattle. I sell "natural" freezer beef. My customers do not want hormones in their beef. There is very little difference if any in weight at weaning between ones cut or left intact (as I have done with a couple I was considering using as bulls).

Jim
 
I try to band at one week. Takes the edge off I think when they get older.
I also get about seven to fifteen cents a pound more then my neighbor.
I also use the bands.
 
I band at 2-3 months or at least try to. The way my grazing rotation works the cows are typically far from my working pen so if I miss one then I won't get another chance for months. When he comes back I use a larger bander and tetnus shot.
I mostly don't implant but have used Ralgro in the past with little measureable effect.
 
SRBeef":1sty2ohf said:
I don't know that there is one "best" method for everyone.

Mine are cut by my vet at the spring workup in May at about 6-8 weeks old. They heal quickly on green grass and no misses. They get first shots, pour on, eartags, weighed and cut in one trip through the chute.

I do not implant my cattle. I sell "natural" freezer beef. My customers do not want hormones in their beef. There is very little difference if any in weight at weaning between ones cut or left intact (as I have done with a couple I was considering using as bulls).

Jim

Do the exact same thing here. Only I am the one that cuts them. Sure gives peace of mind, not worrying about stray nuts or broken/slipped bands. :cowboy:
 
I do not castrate. It is useless to do here in sweden, one loses growth but gains no better prize for steers than bulls.
 
I knive cut in mid-May. February/March calves. We vaccinate and brand at the same time. This is generally a week before the majority of the herd moves to summer pasture. The buyers here do prefer knive cut steers over banded. And there is easily a 10 cent and sometimes 20 cent advantage for steers over bulls. I have implanted at times in the past and am thinking about doing it again next year. Where I sell announces natural or implanted but there really doesn't seem to be a price difference.
 
i band at one week also, they're alot easier for me to handle in a one man operation at that age. since i don't have all that many to do, it works for me. i don't know if it has much effect on they're behavior, but i don't have to deal with inbreds. also if you're going to finish out your steers for table meat, i think castrated steers have a definate advantage at finishing time..
 
nico":7jqx1k8z said:
i do not castrate ,the buyers do not have preferences for steers
Please share where you are located or what sales you use. In my area of East Texas, bull calves over 500 lbs generally bring $5 to $7 per cwt. less than steers of same quality.
 
BC":1wstlet7 said:
nico":1wstlet7 said:
i do not castrate ,the buyers do not have preferences for steers
Please share where you are located or what sales you use. In my area of East Texas, bull calves over 500 lbs generally bring $5 to $7 per cwt. less than steers of same quality.
He is in Europe and bulls are the preferred beef there
 
i band and tag em as soon as i see em. Most of the time, they're less than 24 hours old, sometimes the're still wet. Never given a tetnus shot, never had a problem, always wean a 550 lb calf at 6mos.
 
A bull in a penfull of implanted steers will weigh less than his pen mates, and have a lower adg. He spends far to much energy being a queer schoolyard bully. I implant as well and also sell natural freezer beef.
 
If I was selling at 450 lbs or less I wouldn't castrate- heavier than that and its worth doing.
I prefer Banded around birth(please count to two AFTER you released the band). If the cow is up to date on tetanus shots the calf is protected too at this age.
if not done then I prefer to knife cut (the antitoxins and bigger bands cost too much) plus some buyers will pay more for an intact bag.
 
"I implant as well and also sell natural freezer beef."

Hope your customers know you are implanting-- someone buying "natural beef" might be plenty upset if they found out latter it was implanted.
Personally I have no issue with implants- but most "natural beef " customers are very concerned about implants.
 
Howdyjabo":30wvkefz said:
"I implant as well and also sell natural freezer beef."

Hope your customers know you are implanting-- someone buying "natural beef" might be plenty upset if they found out latter it was implanted.
Personally I have no issue with implants- but most "natural beef " customers are very concerned about implants.
Well it is not my fault that some people (not pointing fingers you know who you are) have mislead them as to the meaning of natural beef on a label. 99.9% of feedlot cattle can be sold as natural beef. So do mine.
 

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