# Castration age range



## Fireflyfarms (Apr 26, 2015)

What would be a range for the aging for doing this? thinking of using the elastic method. One ram i know for a fact i am keeping as he is from a new line and i want to see him grow out...

Some of the other wee ones, unsure on my direction but want to know what i have for timeframe.

Thanks!


----------



## mysunwolf (Apr 26, 2015)

Ideally, you do it in the first few weeks of life. However, it is possible to band even after a few months, and many farmers that I know have a rule that if you can fit the testicles in the band, you can band.


----------



## BrownSheep (Apr 26, 2015)

We tend to see the younger the lamb is the better they handle castration. Personally I try to get it done around a week old. Anything after 3.5 months I would leave it to a vet. The more tissue a band has the cut through the great the chance of infection.

Cutting can be done at a later age but once again the older they are the more likely I am to let a vet handle it.


----------



## Fireflyfarms (Apr 27, 2015)

Thank you both..

Oldest boy is only about to be 2mths on the 3rd of May, the rest are younger than that.

Any advice, tips on using an elastic method? this is a new one for us.


----------



## BrownSheep (Apr 27, 2015)

Make certain both testicles are down in the scrotum before you allow the band off of the applicator. It is very easy to miss a testicle.


----------



## purplequeenvt (Apr 27, 2015)

I'd do the 2 month old as soon as possible if you are going to use a band. Too much longer and things aren't going to fit.

I generally get the band over the scrotum, pop the testicles in, and close the band. BEFORE slipping the band off the tool, I double check to make sure that both testicles are there and that they are all the way in. Once I'm sure, I pop the band off and let them go. They will flail around and complain about it, but normally the fussing doesn't last longer than 30 minutes.

It would be a good idea to make sure that they are vaccinated against tetanus prior to castrating.


----------



## frustratedearthmother (Apr 27, 2015)

I may be the rogue in this area, lol.  I tend to wait until I see the testicles start their growth spurt.  It can be different ages for different goats (sorry, don't do sheep).  But, when testicular growth has started it also means that the urethra has grown also.  According to my veterinarian, this will help prevent the incidence of urinary calculi in the little fellas.  Short answer is I don't go by age - I go by size!

Everything the other posters mentioned about making sure you've got both of the testicles is 'spot on' great advice!


----------



## mysunwolf (Apr 27, 2015)

@frustratedearthmother I do the same thing with boys I know that I'm going to keep! But for meat they're here for such a short time that I don't worry about it.


----------



## frustratedearthmother (Apr 27, 2015)

Makes sense!


----------



## BrownSheep (Apr 27, 2015)

We've kept wethers for up to 1.5 yr old haven't had in issue with urinary calculi. I wonder of it isn't as prevalent in sheep as goats...Fruit for thought.


----------



## SheepGirl (May 5, 2015)

x2 I had a 2.5 year old wether that I castrated at around 2 weeks old and I had him his whole life until I sold him at auction and never any issues with him.


----------



## n8ivetxn (Jan 9, 2016)

I've always heard that urinary calculi in ram lambs is due to the amount of calcium in their diets (i.e., alfalfa and such)


----------



## Bossroo (Jan 9, 2016)

I have raised several hundred rams for range ram yearling sales on alfalfa plus grain.   I only had 2 that had minor difficulties . Nothing to worry about.


----------



## n8ivetxn (Jan 10, 2016)

Cool, thank you for the input, I worry about it every time I see the nursing lambs nibbling on it. After I wean, they get grass hay or pasture, but when the dams are lactating I feed alfalfa, and of course the little ones want what momma's having!


----------



## Baymule (Jan 10, 2016)

Good information here, just had 2 lamb rams that won't get to keep their yum-yums.  I see the sooner the better. What bander should I order and what size bands? I see ads for Callicrate banders, are there any other banders out there or is Callicrate considered the best?


----------



## Bossroo (Jan 10, 2016)

I castrated the crossbred ram lambs and any purebred ram lambs that are obviously not of ram quality) anywhere between a day after birth to  2 weeks old.  The earlier the better as they recover much faster. Some people may have difficulty in using the emasculator if they are not used to doing it.  The Burdizo is what large sheep operations use.  Or one ( including me ) have a helper hold all 4 legs ( front and back in one hand and the other front and back in the other, place the lamb on it's butt ( nose facing you )  on a table or shelf used a knife to cut off 1/3 of the bottom of the scrotum, then just grab one testicle at a time and p u l l  slowly ( old timers used their teeth )  untill they both are gone.   Mountain oysters for lunch.


----------



## Baymule (Jan 11, 2016)

@Bossroo I helped castrate hogs many years ago, but I didn't make the cut. I think I would be very nervous trying that on my own. Can you be a little more explicit on the details. I'll go look up some you tube videos, but will still probably go buy the bander. I would like to know how to use the knife though. Maybe I can find someone around here that will teach me.


----------



## Mike CHS (Jan 12, 2016)

"Mountain oysters for lunch. "

Thank You - it's always a good thing to start the morning with a laugh.


----------



## Bossroo (Jan 12, 2016)

Baymule said:


> @Bossroo I helped castrate hogs many years ago, but I didn't make the cut. I think I would be very nervous trying that on my own. Can you be a little more explicit on the details. I'll go look up some you tube videos, but will still probably go buy the bander. I would like to know how to use the knife though. Maybe I can find someone around here that will teach me.


Have an assistant hold the lamb as I described above, take the bottom of the scrotum and slightly pull it toward you, then with a very sharp knife, cut the bottom 1/3 off in one slice. Then with one hand massage a testicle down out of the scrotum and hold it in place then use the other hand to grab the testicle and slowly pull the tesicle out and off.  Or if you use your teeth , use both hands to get the testicles beween each thumb and index finger to get the testicles to expose the tip of each testicle out past the edge of the cut scrotum  and grab one testicle at a time  with your teeth and pull .   Using your teeth is the easier and faster method and you know that the job is done.  Next,  you can dock the tail...  while the lamb is still held sitting down on it's butt,on a table or any other raised flat surface edge... have a HOT iron tip , like a LARGE chissel, place a 1/2 inch thick and about 4-6 inches wide piece of wood up over it's tail and against the lamb's butt  as a spacer and to protect the anus ( if a ewe lamb it will protect the lady parts too ) with your other hand place the flat part of the iron that is now HOT and press down using some pressure on the other end of the iron which may be quite warm so use a glove or a cloth untill the tail is burned off in a couple seconds.   The tail stub is then cauterized with no blood lost and no raw stub to be attacked by flies..  You will end up with a 1/2 " stub of a tail, however, when the lamb grows up, it will have a 2-3" tail stub. Done right there is NO bleeding or post operation trauma.   Turn the lamb out immediately to find it's mom and it will immediately nurse , then go about it's business as if nothing ever happened.


----------



## Baymule (Jan 12, 2016)

Thank you. @Bossroo, got any lamb nuts recipes?


----------



## norseofcourse (Jan 19, 2016)

I'm glad there are several different castration methods to choose from!

After having a vet surgically castrate mine for two years (and he preferred to do that at about 3 months), I purchased a burdizzo-type tool from Premier1 (they call it a 'side-crusher').  It works great, and I don't have to watch for flies or infection.  I did get some pain meds from the vet, and gave them an hour before the procedure.  Two out of the three lambs didn't even make a sound, and all seemed fine almost immediately.

I used the side-crusher on mine at about 6 to 7 weeks old, but mine are a smaller breed of sheep.  If I had a larger breed I'd do it earlier.

It is a bit pricey, but it's well-made and will last for years.  But, no Mountain Oysters!


----------



## Baymule (Jan 19, 2016)

The two ram lambs were castrated today. Russell, our neighbor that is building the barn said he knew ho, so we did it. I held the lambs like @Bossroo said, I sat on a milk crate and watched Russell make the cuts. He slowly pulled the testicles out and it was done. It didn't look that hard, no blood, the lamb didn't scream in pain or anything like that. I set them down and they ran back to mommy and suckled. Next time I'll try it myself with Russell supervising.


----------



## frustratedearthmother (Jan 20, 2016)

You can do it, Bay!  I've done it on some pygmy boys and it really isn't hard at all.


----------

