DCC show cattle
Well-known member
Hey guys I've castrated at different ages calf wise I was wondering what all the pros on here do. What's been a successful vaccination/castration protocol for you. Thanks in advance!
When to castrate?
- Thread starter DCC show cattle
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The younger the calf is, the less stress on him & the less possible set back. I also think about weather & other conditions that might already be reasons for stress. Outside of that, I do it the first chance I get after I decide he's gonna be a steer or whenever it's most handy...working cows, etc. There are those who think bulls grow faster, and they hold off on castration in leiu of added growth or pounds or muscle development...I don't know there has ever been any real proof of that. And if you wait TOO long, calves start to LOOK like bulls & can still look staggy after castration. That's my two cents...
The younger the calf is, the less stress on him & the less possible set back. I also think about weather & other conditions that might already be reasons for stress. Outside of that, I do it the first chance I get after I decide he's gonna be a steer or whenever it's most handy...working cows, etc. There are those who think bulls grow faster, and they hold off on castration in leiu of added growth or pounds or muscle development...I don't know there has ever been any real proof of that. And if you wait TOO long, calves start to LOOK like bulls & can still look staggy after castration. That's my two cents...
aj
Well-known member
Do they even worry about flies anymore?
DCC show cattle
Well-known member
Flys aj?
Freddy
Well-known member
IF you cut them to late to keep the bag for show ,you can lose them ....I've seen some VETS up in this country lose some high dollar calves ....I'VE lost a couple over the years ,thought I knew what I was doing until that happened ,feed can make as difference ,usually if you lose one they bleed inside ....use _____novalson for healing and disinfectant ....
Show Dad
Well-known member
As soon as the young man walks through door! Though they usually leave when they notice all the equipment and iodine on the table. 
<alien>
<alien>
cpubarn
Well-known member
SD said:As soon as the young man walks through door! Though they usually leave when they notice all the equipment and iodine on the table.
<alien>
Aliens sure are cruel. Do you have teenage daughters too?
Freddy said:
I'm not sure you couldn't lose one any time if the technique is a little off. A clean slice of the cord with a sharp blade WILL allow one to bleed to death. I've seen that once, and a vet did the cutting! I never thought much of that vet...
Instead of "slicing"'the cords, you should scrape them until they break, or i usually just pull them out completely if the calf isn't too big. Once they get big enough, that's hard to do. The jagged tissue helps with clotting, and if you do it right, they hardly bleed at all.
I also kinda believe in the signs, and you castrate when the signs are in the knees going down. They're supposed to bleed less and heal faster. I don't always plan around that because the signs don't always match up with my schedule, but when I think about it and can... Some do things that way...some people don't believe in em.
Show Dad
Well-known member
cpubarn said:SD said:As soon as the young man walks through door! Though they usually leave when they notice all the equipment and iodine on the table.
<alien>
Aliens sure are cruel. Do you have teenage daughters too?
Cruel is when we do an "abduction!" Here I am giving them a choice. ;D Yes I do have a daughter and I sure don't like it when some humanoid punk puts his tentacles all over her. <alien>
firesweepranch
Well-known member
leanbeef said:
OK, so now I am curious; what are the signs in the knees??? I am trying to get a visual, but the only thing coming to me is when a guy gets "kneed" and goes down ;D
nate53
Well-known member
http://www.farmersalmanac.com/calendar/zodiac/firesweepranch said:leanbeef said:
OK, so now I am curious; what are the signs in the knees??? I am trying to get a visual, but the only thing coming to me is when a guy gets "kneed" and goes down ;D
I'm with LeanBeef, when I have time I go with the sign. We usually try to wean calves with the sign in the knees, some people swear by them ( a lot of old timers used them, it is becoming a lost practice). They have signs for planting, harvesting, weaning, etc. One old timer once told me he would rather wean calves on a cold rainy day with the sign being right vrs. a calm sunny day with the sign being wrong. I think the signs have some merit to them, but just like other signs they are not a 100%. We castrate at birth (never lost one).
I don't pretend to understand how it all works, and I don't know who the people are who figure it all out for the rest of us, but I do believe it has merit. If you're skeptical, start noticing when you wean or castrate or dehorn...if they get over things like that easily or don't bleed much, check the signs. I would bet they would be below the knees. If they bawl for a weak or bleed like crazy, the signs will somewhere between the head & the heart.
You can get a farmers almanac calendar that shows the signs on it...that's a handy thing to have at the barn.
You can get a farmers almanac calendar that shows the signs on it...that's a handy thing to have at the barn.
JSchroeder
Well-known member
"The signs" are astrology.
CAB
Well-known member
I haven't looked, lazy, but does anyone know if there is a website to an on-line Farmers Almanac?
aandtcattle
Well-known member
I agree with "younger the better". I was told by my grandpa that cutting a baby calf is was the equivalent to getting your finger cut off. Cutting a weaned calf was like getting your hand cut off and cutting a yearling was like losing an arm. It always made sense to me. I was also taught to "peel" the nut and leave the outside skin of the nut in the calf. Thats the way I do mine and have never lost one, knock on wood.
I know this didn't start off as a thread on castration technique, but since we seem to be covering that topic as well as WHEN to castrate... I slice off the bottom 1/3 of the scrotum & pull each one out one at a time. The cords will pull completely out & strip themselves, and if the calf is young enough, it's relatively easy. One at a time...pull straight down...it'll pull right out. If he's several months old, say close to weaning age, you probably will have to cut the cord. Like I said before...scrape it in two with a sharp blade...don't slice it off. A clean incision will promote more bleeding & it needs to clot. If the cords are stripped, there's a lot less bleeding & it heals faster with less potential for infection.
Brent, here is the online almanac. http://www.farmersalmanac.com/calendar/best-days/
I use the "best days" and the "zodiac calendar".
I have always castrated by the signs. I have weaned by the signs and ONCE without. There was a huge difference without. I do everything i can by the signs. The most obvious difference in using the signs or not is in clipping. I will never clip without it being a "cut for growth" day. Now I realize in showing you can't always make it work. But, It will make a big difference in marginal haired cattle.
I use the "best days" and the "zodiac calendar".
I have always castrated by the signs. I have weaned by the signs and ONCE without. There was a huge difference without. I do everything i can by the signs. The most obvious difference in using the signs or not is in clipping. I will never clip without it being a "cut for growth" day. Now I realize in showing you can't always make it work. But, It will make a big difference in marginal haired cattle.
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