When to castrate young bull?

[muscovy94]

Hey everyone In a few weeks when I go to visit family in texas I plan on going to one of the local dairies and buying a newborn calf that i'll bottlefeed. If I do end up buying a male calf at what age should he be castrated? Would the people that own the dairy do it right on the spot?

Thanks.

 

[purecountrycow]

I do the banding method. You can band them at an early age. I just banded two of mine that are 3 months old.

 

[elevan]

Is there a "too early" to band? As in - How young is too young?

 

[muscovy94]

Is there a "too early" to band? As in - How young is too young?

Ditto. How young would be too young?

 

[purecountrycow]

I'v heard of banding being done as young as a week old. You just have to make sure both nuts are down below the band. So it might be better to wait till they get bigger so you can feel them better.

 

[jhm47]

I don't wish to dampen your enthusiasm, but buying a newborn calf is rather risky. Newborns are susceptible to many digestive problems, and many die when in the hands of inexperienced owners. If possible, I'd suggest that you buy one that is at least a month old, and be very careful not to change it's diet. If the dairy is using a certain brand of milk replacer, be sure to buy enough to keep the calf on that specific brand till it can be weaned. Get the calf started on a good quality calf starter as soon as possible, and provide him with top quality hay right away. Buying directly from a dairy is a much better idea than buying from a sale barn, since the calf will not be exposed to dozens of types of infections from who knows where.

As to the castration question, I do not like banding, especially in the warmer months due to the fly/maggot problem. I would wait at least till he's several months old, but some do it right after birth. I personally like to "pinch" the bull calves with a burdizzo. This leaves no open wounds or rotting scrotum to attract insects. Also be SURE to have him dehorned. That cute, little baby calf might be harmless right now, but when he gets to 1000+ lbs, he will be incredibly strong, and horns will make him 10 times more dangerous. Good luck!

 

[elevan]

I don't wish to dampen your enthusiasm, but buying a newborn calf is rather risky. Newborns are susceptible to many digestive problems, and many die when in the hands of inexperienced owners. If possible, I'd suggest that you buy one that is at least a month old, and be very careful not to change it's diet. If the dairy is using a certain brand of milk replacer, be sure to buy enough to keep the calf on that specific brand till it can be weaned. Get the calf started on a good quality calf starter as soon as possible, and provide him with top quality hay right away. Buying directly from a dairy is a much better idea than buying from a sale barn, since the calf will not be exposed to dozens of types of infections from who knows where.

Having just purchased 2 from a sale and losing one then nursing the other back to health and being a complete greenhorn I can only say - do a lot of research and be prepared for anything.

Btw - the calf that I nursed back from near death is doing great today. The vet said to put him down but I persevered and am glad that I did!

 

[herfrds]

jmh47 good points, but we band our bull calves within 48 hours. we have never had trouble with flies or maggots in banding unless you are talking about the castrating with a knife.
We also calve in March thru April so very little fly problem then.

 

[jhm47]

Herfrds: In this area, banding in late May/Early June is a recipe for disaster. The flies get really bad here till the first frost. Of course, we had frost here last week, so it might not be too bad yet.

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

We banded our calves when they were 6 weeks old. It took about 3 weeks for them to fall off and the procedure was very, very easy. We did not have any type of problem with flies etc., but we live in the north and it is not hot until well...just the month of August really! As others have mentioned, just do your research and be preparred. Some of us, have to learn from the "school of hard knocks", but you can learn from reading here and talking to farmers instead. It's much easier!!