# Banding or cutting?  What is your preference and experience?



## Beekissed (Apr 17, 2010)

I have heard the pros and cons of both methods and I'm also reading up on a method that is called short-scrotum where they push the testes back into the abdomen and just remove the scrotal sac.  This is done to render the animal sterile but still get superior size and growth from the existing male hormones.  

Anyone heard of this or done this procedure?  Do you all band or cut and, if so, why did you choose your particular method?


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## freemotion (Apr 17, 2010)

OK, I haven't actually had any males needing castrating yet.....but when I do, my father will be cutting.  He did this with the bucklings when I was young.  If done right, it is about as quick and traumatic as putting on a band, but is not an ongoing discomfort.  Kind of like a paper cut.  But don't use a razor sharp cutting tool....a not-as-sharp knife means less bleeding, since there will be no stitching.

But not everyone has a farmer dad who is just itching for fresh pastured meat of any kind....  I think I will probably band when I have to do it myself.  You are a nurse, though, so I am sure you will handle any method you choose, oh-brave-one!


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## Beekissed (Apr 17, 2010)

I don't like the idea of either one, to tell the truth!    Some folks around here and other places are just not castrating lambs at all because, at the age they go to market, it doesn't matter in regards to the meat flavor.  

I'm liking the sound of banding the scrotal sac without the testes being in it....seems like that would be far more comfortable than slicing or banding the whole crod.   

Salatin cuts his cattle....but then, he has plenty of help.  Eventually, it will be just me and the ol' Bat and she is starting to show her age a little.  Whatever I choose it will have to be something I can do on my own or with very little assistance.  I already have the banding tool here, so I'm thinking it will be banding.


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## Iceblink (Apr 17, 2010)

> push the testes back into the abdomen


I wonder if this would cause cancer in sheep? I know cryptorchidism is often a cause of testicular cancer in dogs. But then again, if it is a market wether, it probably wouldn't matter.


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## Beekissed (Apr 17, 2010)

Nope.   



> *Short-scrotum rams*
> 
> Less pain is associated with making a short scrotum ram versus a wether lamb. A short scrotum is a ram whose testicles have been pushed up into the body cavity and had its scrotum removed. Short scrotum rams are superior in performance to both wether and entire ram lambs.


The problem with leaving them intact is that I can't keep them with their mothers past 3 months...and I want to do that.  So, I expect I will be banding but I haven't chosen the short-scrotum vs. regular banding.


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## houndit (Apr 17, 2010)

I always banded ours.  To me, it was easier to do it.  I would have had a hard time holding one down while cutting them.


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## aggieterpkatie (Apr 18, 2010)

I've done both and I honestly prefer cutting.  It's quick and the sheep recover much quickly.  I'd recommend using a scalpel though. You don't want to use a dull blade.  The scrotum doesn't bleed much, and you don't cut the testicles out, you pull them out.  When they're pulled out it stops the bleeding.  You'll just need someone to hold the lamb for you.  Just give a good spray of Blu-Kote or something similar and the lamb will be fine.  A little bleeding is fine, and unless you do something terribly wrong the lamb will be back to normal within an hour or so, sometimes not even that long.  

I wouldn't recommend short scrotuming unless you're going to keep the rams seperate from ewes.  You'd be amazed at the cryptorchid rams who very easily breed ewes!  

Banding is easy on the person, and not so easy on the lamb.  I mean, they get over it, but it takes longer.  

Either way, be sure to give a tetanus anti-toxin shot.


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