Castration

[savaged]

What method do most use, and at what age ? (a bull calf to be shown as a feeder).

 

[bart]

Have always knife cut. Until last year I banded a few  steers. I am banding  this year. I think it is easier on them. Its more trouble for us but they dont take it near as hard. I feel it will pay off on the scales later. Get a good bander make sure to talk to a vet about infections.

 

[Doc]

If going to the yards with them , I use a callicrate bander. If they are going to be shown , then I cut them. If banding , anytime up to say 1200 or 1300 lbs.

 

[smo]

1200 to 1300 and u can band them????

 

[GoWyo]

Knife cut at branding (3 mos. age).  I started using an emasculator-cutter for the final crimp and cut and there is hardly any blood.  Calves are over it in a couple of days.

 

[Doc]

1200 to 1300 and u can band them????

I have banded as big as 1500.

 

[farmboy]

The calicrate bander is pretty much one size fits all since you cinch it doThea's tight as you need it. The other banders (little green donuts) are for little calves. You should vaccinate for clostridial diseases as well

 

[Lucky_P]

If banding, you'd better vaccinate with tetanus toxoid, or a clostridial bacterin containing tetanus toxoid, at least 2-4 weeks before applying the band. 
Saw a producer lose about 10-12  6-cwt steers to tetanus not too long ago.  He gave TT at the time of band application, but they died about 2-3 weeks out, before they had a chance to develop protective immunity.

 

[SeannyT]

Knife cut at branding (3 mos. age).  I started using an emasculator-cutter for the final crimp and cut and there is hardly any blood.  Calves are over it in a couple of days.

For real? I've never heard of that before. Can't imagine anything more uncomfortable. Cutting or burdizzo is quick, but the duration of pain involved with banding at that size would be significant. Can you share what reactions are like when doing this?

 

[firesweepranch]

Knife cut at branding (3 mos. age).  I started using an emasculator-cutter for the final crimp and cut and there is hardly any blood.  Calves are over it in a couple of days.

For real? I've never heard of that before. Can't imagine anything more uncomfortable. Cutting or burdizzo is quick, but the duration of pain involved with banding at that size would be significant. Can you share what reactions are like when doing this?

We use an emasculator when castrating horses. It is not much different than cutting, other then it crimps the end while you cut, and with older horses we just hold it for a few seconds longer to assure the crimp is good. Very little blood.

 

[GoWyo]

Knife cut at branding (3 mos. age).  I started using an emasculator-cutter for the final crimp and cut and there is hardly any blood.  Calves are over it in a couple of days.

For real? I've never heard of that before. Can't imagine anything more uncomfortable. Cutting or burdizzo is quick, but the duration of pain involved with banding at that size would be significant. Can you share what reactions are like when doing this?

We use an emasculator when castrating horses. It is not much different than cutting, other then it crimps the end while you cut, and with older horses we just hold it for a few seconds longer to assure the crimp is good. Very little blood.

Firesweep is right.  This is one that I believe was made for goats.  Proceed with a regular knife cut and once the nut is peeled, crimp and cut the tissue between the calf and the nut with the emasculator.  Virtually no blood except from the cut on the scrotum.

 

[farmboy]

We used to clamp calves.... Used to... Not very easy to do by yourself

 

[vanridge]

Other than 4-H calves we don't show our steers. But we castrate all our calves as soon as they are born. We use the little green cheerios. We've had to help with other methods and we much prefer it this way. I wonder how much difference it makes in weight gain on calves when they are steered right away. If you steer them later then they do grow a little faster but than how long does it take for the calf to start gaining again after being castrated? And I also noticed at the livestock yards in February that any steer that looked "bullish" they would immediately dock the price by 10-15 cents/lb.  I don't know what the best method is but for us it works to vaccinate, tag, and castrate everything at birth. The calves don't even seem to notice what is going on.
I should add if its a 1 nutter we wait for the other nut to drop or we get the vet to come and castrate it.

 

[SeannyT]

Sorry I quoted the wrong quote in my reply. I was referring to banding at 1500lbs rather than cutting or clamping. Anyone else band that late?

 

[vanridge]

Sorry I quoted the wrong quote in my reply. I was referring to banding at 1500lbs rather than cutting or clamping. Anyone else band that late?

upthecreek told me a story about where he used to work they would band feeder bulls and in the spring they had to put a special attachment to their equipment in the field because of all the bull "bags".  They would clog up the seeding equipment! I'm not sure how big they were though. I know I wouldn't want to be the guy behind the bull putting the band on at that size  ;D .

 

[Doc]

Sorry I quoted the wrong quote in my reply. I was referring to banding at 1500lbs rather than cutting or clamping. Anyone else band that late?

I banded one bull at 1500 that I was taking to the yards . I have banded several in that 12 to 1300 lbs where I have bought bulls cheap at a sale & turned them into freezer beef. With the callicrate bander they will walk bowlegged for about 5 or10 minutes then they are back to grazing or eating at the bunk feeder.

 

[CAB]

We band bull calves @ the same time that we ear tag calves. Some club calf producers want to cut with a knife to leave more cod there. They seem to think that it makes the calf look deeper or more to him if the cod is still hanging there. As far as banding calves is concerned, if you want the bag to fall off quicker and run less risk of infections and tetanus, after you have the band on and in place, take a knife and slit the sack open. They will heal quicker and it serves in letting the gases produced out instead of having to move inward though the calf's system. Try it sometime if you are a bander, you'll be amazed @ how much difference it will make. In reference to the tetanus toxoid vaccine. Yes you need to use a tetanus toxoid especially when calves are bigger,( I would say anything over a couple of weeks old), but along with the toxoid vaccine you need to use the tetanus anti-toxin. The anti-toxin serves as a precaution to prevent tetanus while the calf is building immunity to tetanus through the toxoid vaccine.

 

[bart]

CAB I agree, this has worked well for us on the few we did last year. Splitting the sack is the key I think. At my place it is the year of the BULL.
one place is 7 to 1 ratio.

 

[slankford@farmersnational]

Have always knife cut. Until last year I banded a few steers. I am banding this year. I think it is easier on them. Its more trouble for us but they dont take it near as hard. I feel it will pay off on the scales later. Get a good bander make sure to talk to a vet about infections.

I have a bull...weighs 800-900#. I normally cut with a knife and wondering if anyone places a band on castrated knife cut sack to reduce bleeding?

 

[slankford@farmersnational]

I have a bull...weighs 800-900#. I normally cut with a knife and wondering if anyone places a band on castrated knife cut sack to reduce bleeding?