[Jacob-list] castration

[Victoria da Roza]

We use the little rubber bands and I must say it is a
challenge.  You need to check to make sure both
testicles are descended before attempting.  This is
not with a newborn.  Then when someone holds the
screaming, wiggling, terrified beast....you grab both
testicles and make sure you do not let one back up in
the body cavity.  This is the tricky part because
while holding the sack, you must get the band around
the parts wanted removed.  They do tend to slip back
up into the body cavity. I have sharp safe sissors to
cut the initial attempt off if I check and only have
one. But believe me the time to check for both is
before letting the ram go cause good luck later.  I
could not find any vet that wanted to attempt
castrating a bigger ram with developed horns.  I sold
a wether lamb with his mother that I had banded
because they just wanted the 2 sheep.  You could not
feel a testicle so it must have been up in the body
cavity...the next year this pair had triplets...so do
not believe the part that they are sterile if one
testicle is up in the body cavity.
   The thing that really burned me is that I have
never had triplets with my own sheep!!!!  Victoria
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> Today's Topics:

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>    1. Problems with Castrating (ARTHUR PARTRIDGE)

>    2. Re: Problems with Castrating (Meg Steensland)

>    3. Re: Problems with Castrating (Linda)

>    4. Re: bottle jaw (Betty Berlenbach)

>    5. Re: Problems with Castrating (Meg Steensland)

> 

> 

>

----------------------------------------------------------------------

> 

> Message: 1

> Date: Sun, 9 Sep 2007 13:30:04 -0700

> From: "ARTHUR PARTRIDGE" <aztreaz at earthlink.net>

> Subject: [Jacob-list] Problems with Castrating

> To: "jacob-list" <jacob-list at jacobsheep.com>

> Cc: beryl5145 at wirelessbeehive.com

> Message-ID: <410-2200790920304109 at earthlink.net>

> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

> 

> >The question I have is about the other one with the

> one testicle). He has

> >nice wool, but I don't want him breeding my ewes.

> Any advice?

> >Also, how can I avoid this next year? Would another

> method help?

> >Thanks, 

> >Beryl Schwartz

> >Stockton, Utah

> ============

> It might not be too late to castrate again.  We

> castrated ram lambs at 8

> months, so the horns could develop fully, and they

> did.  It will require a

> vet though because it is a larger surgical area and

> requires a local

> anesthetic to reduce pain and discomfort.  I helped

> hold the ram lamb and

> she surgically castrated.  I was charged $50, she is

> a neighbor so she

> waves the farm call charge.  The ram lamb walked

> strange for a few days and

> is just fine.

> 

> I have my vet surgically castrate every spring, so

> there is nothing left

> that shouldn't be there.  Of course, my vet is my

> neighbor and seems to

> wait at the fence with her scalpel ready every

> spring.

> 

> Cathy

> Moscow, Idaho

>  

> 

> 

> 

> 

> ------------------------------

> 

> Message: 2

> Date: Sun, 9 Sep 2007 13:49:07 -0700 (PDT)

> From: Meg Steensland <beegal7 at yahoo.com>

> Subject: Re: [Jacob-list] Problems with Castrating

> To: aztreaz at earthlink.net, jacob-list

> <jacob-list at jacobsheep.com>

> Cc: beryl5145 at wirelessbeehive.com

> Message-ID:

> <206866.90251.qm at web31514.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

> 

> Hi I have a vintage college sheep and goat textbook

> (1984 I think) that mentions a way of castrating

> involving shoving the testicles back up and then

> banding the empty scrotum - this allows the animal

> its hormones so it is still a full ram, but he

> should be dysfunctional for actually breeding ewes. 

> But he should still behave lke a ram, so don't do

> this if you just want a fiber guy.  Anyone tried

> this?

>    

>   The one-testicle, short scrotum ram should not be

> able to breed ewes-doesn't mean he won't try tho.

> 

> ARTHUR PARTRIDGE <aztreaz at earthlink.net> wrote:

>   >The question I have is about the other one with

> the one testicle). He has

> >nice wool, but I don't want him breeding my ewes.

> Any advice?

> >Also, how can I avoid this next year? Would another

> method help?

> >Thanks, 

> >Beryl Schwartz

> >Stockton, Utah

> ============

> It might not be too late to castrate again. We

> castrated ram lambs at 8

> months, so the horns could develop fully, and they

> did. It will require a

> vet though because it is a larger surgical area and

> requires a local

> anesthetic to reduce pain and discomfort. I helped

> hold the ram lamb and

> she surgically castrated. I was charged $50, she is

> a neighbor so she

> waves the farm call charge. The ram lamb walked

> strange for a few days and

> is just fine.

> 

> I have my vet surgically castrate every spring, so

> there is nothing left

> that shouldn't be there. Of course, my vet is my

> neighbor and seems to

> wait at the fence with her scalpel ready every

> spring.

> 

> Cathy

> Moscow, Idaho

> 

> 

> 

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> ------------------------------

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> Message: 3

> Date: Sun, 9 Sep 2007 17:14:49 -0400

> From: Linda <patchworkfibers at alltel.net>

> Subject: Re: [Jacob-list] Problems with Castrating

> To: Beryl Schwartz <beryl5145 at wirelessbeehive.com>,

> 	<jacob-list at jacobsheep.com>

> Message-ID: <200799171449.231053 at patchwor-efob1t>

> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

> 

> I was just working on a blog entry about the

> subject.  I am perhaps the worst castrator in sheep

> history.  Once again, I have missed a crucial part

> of the castration process!  And that pretty "wether"

> is just another freezer ram. He was butting heads

> yesterday and I thought I'd better check - and yep,

> he's a scrotumless ram. I'm going to have to start

> calling my wethers, whethers - as in whether or not

> I finally managed to get both testicles.  

> 

> Since the testicle is in the body cavity, the heat

> should render your "rig" sterile.  But, he will

> breed and he will fight your real ram over the ewes.

>  And, like my first attempt, a bottle raised half

> castrated ram will not make a good pet.  It was

> quite embarrassing when my "wether" charged a

> perspective buyer.  I've read that the process of

> removing just the scrotum makes the sheep grow

> better for market.  I just pretend that's why I

> leave one testicle. 

> 

> My favorite method is to have the vet do it.  At

> least she gets the job done.  It might be a somewhat

> more complicated operation to wether your boy now.  

> 

> If anyone has advice on how to castrate properly,

> I'd sure be interested.  I very seldom wether

> anything, but when I do, it would be nice if it were

> a success.

> 

> Linda

>  

> www.patchworkfibers.com

> Registered Jacob Sheep, Angora Rabbits, Handspun

> Yarn

> 

> > All,

> >

> >

> > This is my first year raising sheep, and I

> “castrated” 

=== message truncated ===


Victoria
Castle Rock Farm
Jacob Sheep & Nigerian Dwarf Goats
www.castlerockfarm.net


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