When To Castrate Our Calf ???

[BuettnersLittleFarm]

We are new to this forum and new to raising calves...We bought our first Bull Holstein calf a week old from a local dairy farmer that is now almost 4 months old...off milk replacer, eating grain, top quality hay, and drinking water on his own...We turned him out to pasture a few days ago...He is huge and healthy and plan to buy 2 more bull holstein calves in the future...Our main question today is...

"WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO CASTRATE OUR CALF AND THE EASIEST, CHEAPEST WAY TO DO THIS???"

P.S. We plan to have him butchered for meat if we have the heart to do it, lol...

 

[WildRoseBeef]

Best time? ASAP!! At that age it's probably best to cut him, though you'd have to get the vet to do that, which would probably be a little more expensive than banding him yourself. You could band him too, as there should be bands that are big enough to accompany the larger testicles you have to work around, but you would need to have him in a chute or someone who knows how to put him down and keep him down on his side long enough to put the elastrator on him, and that's no small feat for a 4 month old calf!

 

[Cricket]

I have the vet do mine, usually as soon as I can feel 'marbles in the pouch' or like 2 months and usually have him disbud at the same time. I just usually have him do everything that needs doing at once, so the cost isn't too bad (and I am usually cheap). This year I didn't have my jersey/holstein disbudded--put it off as long as I could, then the vet was gone for a month, so just had the castration done. The horns are a pain in the butt--right at funny bone height now.

 

[redtailgal]

We band at around 3 months old, so you can still band him, but your definately gonna need a cattle chute or a lot of strong help that doesnt mind getting hurt in the process.

You need to do this now......it will only get more and more difficult, on both you and him.

 

[BuettnersLittleFarm]

Thank you everyone as I contacted the vet and waiting for them to return my call to see how much it will cost for him to come here to do the castration...so far, it's $50 travel fee, only 3.5 miles, sheesh...lessoned learned, get them done when babies, but we also read the longer you wait, the better growth weight..."Catch 22" I guess...will keep you updated on final bill and thanks again for your replies...

 

[WRM]

I band my calves within 24 hours of birth. In my opinion there is less stress on the calf (and myself) doing it this way. I have also found no difference in weaning weights as compared to casterating them at a later date.

 

[boothcreek]

We castrate(Band) ours within 24 hrs of birth too, since everyone in the family is too chicken to manhandle the cows and I am the only one who doesn't get charged. So for me doing it by myself I rather them be nice and little.
A 60 lb dexter calf is still a handful at 24 hrs old for one person to castrate. I couldn't imagen trying to lasso and wrangle them at a couple weeks old(tried, took 3 people to pin him down, mini-cows are strong).

So ya, I would do it ASAP if you wan to band him.

Oh and we never noticed any growth/weight difference with calves we banded early and which we got late(or not at all).

 

[peteyfoozer]

we just castrate ours when they are a couple months old, but we are able to head and heel them. They get right up and go nurse, its safer and easier than banding. Are there any ranchers or cowboys around where you live who could do it for you?

 

[TheSheepGirl]

We butchered our 18 month old bull last week and I noticed no difference in the taste of the meat. We bought as a bull and he started to get an attitude, which lands them freezer camp around here.

I'm not advocating not castrating, but if you can't afford it or it can't be done, then bull's meat tastes the same, at least in my experience.

When we do castrate, we cut them at around 24 hours old, helping my uncle on his ranch. he and I can wip out about 10 calves/hour if they are all caught and corralled before hand.