Incomplete Castration

[Sunny Citizen]

I'm new to this, so please forgive - if my terminology is incorrect: I have a 3 1/2 month old pure Jersey "steer" (actually a rig, I guess). I bottle fed this baby and castrated him (and 3 others) via the rubber band method at about 3 weeks old. Apparently, I missed one testicle in this guy. His castration is healed, but he is not smooth and when I feel around, I'm sure that I locate a testicle. (All the other calves look/feel good.)

What can I do? Recastrate???? (vet, cutting myself, rebanding - the scrotum's gone) or is the sale barn my best bet?

I am new to this - never had cattle before. Just wanting to raise some meat for myself -- (I know, I know, Jerseys aren't meat producers...but I live in Dairy country and this is my option right now and I'm learning). Also, have a heifer in this group of calves that I want to keep (to AI with a beef breed and to be a nurse cow in the future). I've confirmed that she's not a free-martin.

I know Jersey bulls can be mean and I don't want any of that business right now.

 

[shadyhollownj]

I am no expert by any means but heres what I have learned. Even though there is a heifer the nut will be to close to the body and temp will be to high for any viable sperm. From what I have read on hear it isnt that major of a problem and I wouldnt do anything. Just watch him but you shouldnt have a problem. Search it on here its been asked before.

 

[John SD]

This is why I am not a fan of the band method.

For all intents and purposes your steer is still a bull. He will behave as such and the quality of the meat when he is butchered will be affected as he is a bull.

At this point I think the vet is your best option for dealing with the botched banding job and make your steer into a steer.

I think you are correct that you don't want to deal with him when he is older if he is still a bull. A bottle calf growing up to become a mature bull is bad news.

 

[user1]

There was a protocol that some were pushing years ago to do just that with testicles. They wouldn't grow much and they would get them fattened up before they developed very much. It was supposed to be the cat's meow. I think you could make it work if you could get them finished quickly.

 

[chippie]

I wouldn't invest any money in him to get him fixed. Just keep an eye on him, finish him out and enjoy the meat.
We have butchered and eaten a lot of dairy (Jersey & Holstein) meat. It is good. Some don't marble well, but if you like lean meat, you'll enjoy it.

 

[dun]

The one nutters, either intentional or accidental is the reason banded calves get docked at sale time. As has been said hundreds of times, when you release the handles , COUNT TO 2. If you only have one nut, cut the band off and do it again. I've never had the problem but I always carry a small pair of cutters when I band so that if I did I could rmove the band immediatly. As has been said, it ain;t rocket surgery.

 

[Howdyjabo]

We FIX them all the time(it blows my mind how many people can't count to two). But if you don't know what you are doing I wouldn't try it. Sometimes there is alot of growth/attachments around the nut that have to be stripped off with a sharp knife(before you can pull it) and it can get a little hairy.Him being young still and just recently banded it may not be that bad. But....... Once you go in you have to finish no matter what you find.

If you don't fix it be careful around him. Its just like a proud cut horse. He will be worse than a normal bull as he will have more hormones.

 

[Dave]

At this age and size it isn't rocket science to finish the job. Most any experienced cattleman should be able to do it. Or it is a pretty quick procedure for a vet. Jerseys don't finish real quickly so you will have this guy around for a while. Just get him cut and he will be easier to get along with a year from now.

 

[Sunny Citizen]

Could you all please help me with more about finishing him out or finishing him out faster. I have him on pasture and give a little grain in the evening when I'm checking on them or to get them to to the barn, etc. Should I have hay available at all times, give him a lot of grain, etc. Justing looking for a little more information...sorry if this is just basic stuff that I should know...
Thanks!

 

[chippie]

Where are you located? What size is your pasture and how many head do you have on it? How much is a little grain? The amount fed should be measured in pounds, not volume.

Right now, we have 4 calves about 3 months to 5 months old that are fed 4 to 5 lbs daily in a creep feeder. They are not weaned yet. They go in and out and eat when they feel like it. They also have access to a round bale and our grass is growing like crazy (thank you Lord for the rain and mild weather). When we finish one for the freezer. It is fed separately and the amount fed depends on the size of the animal. Bring it in to eat twice daily, otherwise it grazes in the pasture and has access to hay if needed.


RE: Your heifer. How did you confirm that she is not a free martin? You will want to keep her separated from the Jersey that still has the testicle. A guy that we know bought a bottle baby Holstein heifer from a trader. Kept it for over 14 months and finally noticed that it never came in heat. He took it to the vet and found out that it did not have any ovaries.

 

[Sunny Citizen]

I'm in East Texas. My pasture is small...too small to even mention. I have about 3 acres...not all fenced...I am using an electric fence and rotating. Right now I have the 5 calves. I wanted to keep 2 calves...the others to keep as long as I could...just trying to cover some of my expenses for the calf hutches, etc. I plan to continue to bottle feed a group once a year (keeping 1 for beef). Trying to go as natural as possible for health reasons...so I've not given a lot of grain. I was giving a pound a day -- letting the calves in the pasture during the day and moving them to individual hutches at night & giving one pound per calf. Now, I just have them together on pasture and an occasional gift of grain.

RE: the hiefer: I bought a free-martin probe and tubed her. Results looked conclusive to me.

 

[Crazy Farmgirl]

I raise several Jersey's each year, if you expect them to fatten you will have to push the grain hard and heavy. I don't grain at all, I prefer grass fed. Had one last summer that the bull knocked around and broke his hip, he was around 500 lbs, we butchered him. While the cuts of meat where small they were EXCELLENT eating, maybe an option for your "half a steer"- butcher him early he won't yeildmuch but better than having an ornery cuss on the place.

As for your freemarten...she probably is. Have seen many pass the probe test and still be unbreedable. See the other active thread on freemartens, good info there.

 

[dun]

The tube and probe will show if she is a freemartin some of the time. There are realy onkly 2 ways to know for sure. One way is a bloodtest the other is to see if she can get bred and carry a calf to full term. The bloodtest is cheaper then the latter

 

[chippie]

The vet palpated the heifer that I mentioned. She did not have her lady parts inside. : ( Otherwise, she appeared normal.

Unless your grass is very good quality, you will need to supplement with something. Grain or good hay (tested for protein level or alfalfa), otherwise it is going to take forever to get the critter to a decent size to butcher. Check the labels on the different feeds. Many are all natural mixes. It is very easy to end up with a doggie jersey steer unless you feed it more than what you are giving it. You will find out how well your feeding program works when it comes time to sell the extras.

We have butchered 700 to 800 lb animals. As mentioned, the size of the steaks and roasts are smaller. I liked the smaller size because we are able to eat it in a timely manner.

Something else about keeping many animals on small acreage, you will need a good worming program.

ETA: if you bought the heifer at a sale barn, I can just about guarantee that she is a twin to a bull calf and probably a free martin. If you bought her from the dairy, and she was cheap - same thing. A good Jersey heifer, even a bottle calf, will cost $$$.