# Castration disappointment



## Womwotai (Feb 23, 2014)

My first lambs ever were born a week or so ago, so yesterday DH and I decided it was time to castrate the little ram.  Having never done it before, I read a lot about it as well as watching a few YouTube videos, and thought I was all prepared.  I loaded a band onto the bander, DH held the lamb, and I easily got the band over the sack, made sure no nipples were included, and released the band.  Perfect job for the first time.  

Then I felt the sack and it felt a little too…..empty.  Nothing I read ANYWHERE stressed a need to make sure the testicles are descended before banding so at first I thought it was just my lack of experience, and asked DH to feel for them.  Nope - empty sack.  Then we felt a little higher and right up against the abdomen we felt them.

So we cut off the band, released the little guy and googled again for "lamb" and "undescended testicles" and from what we are reading it is not common.  At one link a woman said she'd had more than 1000 lambs and never had a case of it.  So what are the odds that our very first lamb would be undescended???

Anyway, I guess we will just keep checking back every few days and wait for them to descend, and hope by the time they do he won't be too large to band.  If he is, he may have to go to butcher a little sooner than I first planned, since I don't want him reaching maturity and competing with his father to mate his sisters, mother and aunts.

Funny - its really not that big a deal and yet I had a feeling of disappointment hanging over me all day. Being the first, I had really just wanted to get it done so I could stop feeling nervous about it but instead I got something new to worry about.


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## Roving Jacobs (Feb 23, 2014)

Are you sure they're really undescended? Could you push them down into the sac if you tried?  They can be tricky and suck them up when you're messing around back there.


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## BrownSheep (Feb 23, 2014)

They aren't undescended but rathher just ou of the sack do to gravity ( on his back) When doing it have your husband push them up into the sack. Close the bander and feel to make certain they are there then release the band.

It is possible they area little small yet which can make it difficult. We did ours this weekend and only had one triplet ram lamb who was a little small.


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## purplequeenvt (Feb 23, 2014)

When I band, I get the band where I want it (not closing the tool yet) and then I pop the two nuts into the scrotum, close the band, AND THEN check again to be sure both testicles are still where I want them. It's really easy once you know what you are doing, but it is always easiest with someone else to hold the lamb.


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## bcnewe2 (Feb 23, 2014)

Even easier if you partner holds him rightside up not on his back. Its a bit akward but gravity helps keep them in place.


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## boothcreek (Feb 23, 2014)

I do the banding solo since, well, according to my family - my critters, my problem -. I sit on a pail, lamb on its back on my lap with the head usually tucked under my chin. I put the scrotum through the band and then go on a merry testicle hunt. When I think I got both I close the pliers but do not roll the band off until I after I felt if both are in there. If I am missing one I open up the band again and tuck the missing one in quick.


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## Womwotai (Feb 23, 2014)

Thanks guys.  The lamb was not on his back but rather held vertical (head high, butt down).  We were not able to push them down into the scrotum easily and didn't want to risk hurting him too much so we decided to give it a couple of days and try again.  I'll see if there is any way to keep him in the same position as he would be standing and see if gravity that way makes a difference.


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## bcnewe2 (Feb 24, 2014)

If you're not trying to band him and pick him up, can you feel the testicles then?  Not under duress per say?  If you can't then maybe he is undescended but my bet is they slipped up during the confusion.
Instead of a standing position, have the head and body upright, just not on his back. they're still going to point down with gravity.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Feb 24, 2014)

boothcreek said:


> I do the banding solo since, well, according to my family - my critters, my problem -. I sit on a pail, lamb on its back on my lap with the head usually tucked under my chin. I put the scrotum through the band and then go on a merry testicle hunt. When I think I got both I close the pliers but do not roll the band off until I after I felt if both are in there. If I am missing one I open up the band again and tuck the missing one in quick.


Lol, boothcreek, spoken like a pro!!! I do the exact same to the 'T'!!! Works great!


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## boothcreek (Feb 24, 2014)

four winds ranch - its really interesting to do with calves. Pissed-off cow 2 inches from your face bellowing and frothing at the mouth generally isn't helpful either(but know the girls and they will not actually touch me) . Haven't missed any banding them like this by myself yet *knock-on-wood*, 10 yrs of clean banding record with the cows and 5 with the sheep, fingers crossed it stays that way XXXXX .


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## Womwotai (Feb 25, 2014)

bcnewe2 said:


> If you're not trying to band him and pick him up, can you feel the testicles then?  Not under duress per say?  If you can't then maybe he is undescended but my bet is they slipped up during the confusion.
> Instead of a standing position, have the head and body upright, just not on his back. they're still going to point down with gravity.


I checked again this morning.  This time I left him standing and felt for them.  I can "just" feel them up against the abdomen but was not able to pull them down into the sack at all - and I tried.  I can even get my fingers up around one but when I gently tug on it to try to encourage it to move down into the sack, it doesn't move.  I will just keep checking every few days and hope they descend before he gets too large to band.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Feb 25, 2014)

boothcreek said:


> four winds ranch - its really interesting to do with calves. Pissed-off cow 2 inches from your face bellowing and frothing at the mouth generally isn't helpful either(but know the girls and they will not actually touch me) . Haven't missed any banding them like this by myself yet *knock-on-wood*, 10 yrs of clean banding record with the cows and 5 with the sheep, fingers crossed it stays that way XXXXX .


Nice!!! I haven't attempted a calf by myself yet!!!


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## BrownSheep (Feb 25, 2014)

Womwotai since your new to sheep I would suggest finding another farmer to show you how. It is a lot easier to do it after you have seen it in person.

I bought 4-h lambs from a guy who didn't know how to castrate..we ended up with "weathers"  one which had 1 testical and no scrotum and the other had 1 .5 testicles.


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## Womwotai (Feb 25, 2014)

BrownSheep said:


> Womwotai since your new to sheep I would suggest finding another farmer to show you how. It is a lot easier to do it after you have seen it in person.
> 
> I bought 4-h lambs from a guy who didn't know how to castrate..we ended up with "weathers"  one which had 1 testical and no scrotum and the other had 1 .5 testicles.


I feel pretty confident in using the bander (practiced quite a bit before attempting the first castration), and the actual process of banding went smoothly until I realized the testicles aren't descended.  I think it will be fine once they are - the disappointment in the subject line is only that we experienced an "anomaly" on the first one   It would have been nice to have the first be routine.  My next door neighbor is a large animal vet (I know, lucky, right?) so I can always ask her to take a look, but since I can feel the testicles up against the abdomen and can't get them to move down, I think it is just a matter of watch and wait until they do.

Yowza - 1.5 testicles sounds painful….poor guy.


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## BrownSheep (Feb 25, 2014)

That is a great deal! I just thought I would suggest it since it helped us a lot.

Yeah, they had to go be surgically castrated.


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