The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: suziequeue on April 09, 2011, 08:00:09 am
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We've just castrated our <week old lambs and they didn't seem too fussed by it although the older one seems uncomfortable.
Does that mean we've done it wrong?
I thought they were meant to go into a squealing fit and lie down for twenty minutes.
Husband was also quite surprised as in his experience they do bleat and lie down (he has castrated lambs before)
I am concerned that their testicles haven't descended yet and we have just banded their empty scrotums. Hubby said he felt them but on closer questioning what he described didn't really convince me that he had felt testicles - just scrotal contents.
What to do if they turn out to be rigs or rams with testicles but no scrotum!!!
:-((
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Yeah - just checked and took the bands off two of them because I just wasn't at all happy that they were right.
One of them had the band above a nipple anyway so I think we'll just have to leave it now and deal with things later.
:-(
This is NOT my finest hour
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Don't think you are alone Suziequeue. We tried to band our twin tup lambs yesterday but couldn't keep the testicles in the sac so put off for another couple of days. You do need to be careful about catching the nipples, and check that the two little lumps are on the right side of the band before you let go, then check both are still in afterwards. The scissors on a Swiss Army knife are perfect for getting the band off again quickly if you have to. Some breeds are just so tiny in that department that sticking to the one week time limit can be difficult :sheep:
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Our lambs have never squealed when I've castrated them, they wriggle a bit but that's all. Last year I had a problem with one, just couldnt get wold of both testicles. We ended up calling a vet and even she had problems. She said it was the most difficult one she'd ever had to do - which made me feel a whole lot better!
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It's good to know I am not alone in this and certainly - reading other castration threads - it seems that testicles not descending within a week are not an uncommon issue.
We've left the lambs for now but I think this year we will just separate the boys from the girls when the time comes ..... we have probably just got enough space with a bit of planning and nifty sheep netting and could always put them in with our neighbour's rams (we had theirs last year).
I'm going to ask around and see if it's a breed problem aswell.
In looking on You Tube for videos the only one I could find was a man in America who bites them off with his teeth .... great!!
What a world we live in :-) But I did finally see the one that was posted here a while back
Thanks for taking the time to respond
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that was how the old sheepherds did the castration illegal now that is tearing not cutting :wave: :sheep: :wave:
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We don't castrate and haven't had a problem. The ram lambs go in with our tup and wether when they are weaned in July and then off to slaughter in October / November when the tup goes to the ewes. They grow well and there's no "ram taint" to the lamb.
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If you wan to see a video on ringing see http://www.hobbyfarms.com/hobby-farms-videos/castrating-lambs.aspx (http://www.hobbyfarms.com/hobby-farms-videos/castrating-lambs.aspx)
Having said that I failed to do our first male this year & he still has only 1 testicle at 2 weeks +. I think I will get him cut if they come down as our lambs go late to slaughter & separating him from both the ewes with tups in different groups & the lambs could be difficult at the end of the year.
Rose
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Yes - thanks Robate55 - I finally managed to see that video on hobbyfarms after the event as it doesn't play on Mac and we are a Mac household.
:-(
Feeling very bad about the whole business but I can see I'm not alone which is reassuring.
Will definitely ask neighbours about putting ours with theirs once they are weaned.
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Last year was our first year & I had a complete squealy over the first until I found the video. This year when I couldn't do the first I thought I had lost it until I decided it only had one. And I'm sure I was taught how at college, but it was a long time ago.
Rose
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The video was very interesting, with the lambs legs held high like that. Does anyone else do that? The gadget she is using is different to the one we have and looks much better, as there is no opportunity for the testicles to zap back in the microsecond you are letting the band off. I wonder if you can get a similar applicator over here? Mind you, the demo lamb has nice big, easily identified testicles - unlike Hebs and Soays ;D
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Yes - and it looked alot older than 7 days. I expect the law is different in the USA. I will look into the gadget Fleecewife
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I had someone else's lambs sheared with mine and every single male had no sack but balls up inside. When asked the chap said it wasn't intentional just pure incompetence! He hadn't even realised!
Sometimes they only have one ball. I have one like it this year and I had one last year, but you have to expect some anomalies. I will try and do a video and stick it on youtube if you want. Got a few ram lambs to do and once you get the right process it is a lot easier. You can also practise on the corner of a cushion as alot of people can get the band on but getting the applicator off seems to be the struggle - cushions generally don't mind it being done again and again and again!
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Ok I confess I use the string method :-[ :-[ ouessant testicles are sooooo small and often haven't come down. i first tie the testicles in situ using a fine twine around the base of them so i know where they are! and then I know when that band goes on the balls are in the right place. its a bit fiddly but less than with the hit and miss approach to elastic band only.
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Yeah - just checked and took the bands off two of them because I just wasn't at all happy that they were right.
One of them had the band above a nipple anyway so I think we'll just have to leave it now and deal with things later.
:-(
This is NOT my finest hour
Bear in mind it's illegal to use the bands after 7 days old tho...
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Ok I confess I use the string method :-[ :-[ ouessant testicles are sooooo small and often haven't come down. i first tie the testicles in situ using a fine twine around the base of them so i know where they are! and then I know when that band goes on the balls are in the right place. its a bit fiddly but less than with the hit and miss approach to elastic band only.
Thanks kanisha :wave: Sounds worth a try - is it frowned upon? There is the same problem with Soays which many people find impossible to ring within the legal 7 days.
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Hi Fleecewife I don't know if its frowned upon more an admission that with just an elastic band I find it very hit and miss nothing worse that haing to remove a band and seeing the sore balls the next day as a result of a botched job :-[. The earliest I have managed to castrate a Ouessant is ten days and certainly at seven days even if you can put the band on the testicles are so small they just slip back through so it isn't worth it. I now have it worked out the most important for me is that neither the lamb or me is stressed to the point that it can't be done calmly I generally check the lambs balls every couple of days from around ten days old most often they get done at around 14 days old.
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Exactly - the hole in the middle of the ring is too big for tiny breeds and if done too early would cause them a lot of pain with the blood supply to the testicle being only partially cut off. With the legal limit set at 7 days, I think those who can't do it within that time because of the small size of the testicles will not want to raise the problem in case they are penalised We don't ring many of our Hebridean males because we like to see how they turn out to have a choice to pick the best from for selling on as breeding stock, but sometimes it's obvious one isn't suitable so he will be ringed, and with Soays we do any we don't already have a booking for as they can be confrontational little devils once they get in with the boys flock, setting off fights which the Hebs never would, so wethers are easier to manage.
Going back to the original question, lambs shouldn't squeal when they are ringed or make more fuss than going to sit down for a few minutes, or doing the funny walk briefly. After that it shouldn't cause them any problems, so if they were in a lot of pain I would assume we had done it wrong.