The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: mollyneedshelp on June 24, 2015, 11:22:58 am
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I am new to sheep keeping and had my first experience of lambing this year.
The ram lambs were ringed (not by me) when they were a few days old, all seemed to go well so imagine my suprise when I had to turn a lamb on his back to treat his foot and found what appears to be testicles but next to his body as the bit underneath has dropped off through ringing.
I brought them all in and checked and them and they all seem to have testicles still, or am I mistaking them for something else? I don't think I am ;)
They are around four months now, can they still be castrated by the vet? I'm a bit embarrassed to ask lol!
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Especially if they are a small breed, and the person who applies the ring is not very careful, then the testes themselves can pop back through the ring, so only empty 'purse' is removed.
Yes the vet can deal with the problem, either by open castration or using the Burdizzo, but get a quote first. Is it impossible to leave them as they are? We leave many of ours entire anyway (to see by 16 months which are possibles for breeding), and they get on OK together, apart from a little jockeying for position.
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Thanks for your reply, yes I could leave them as they are as long as they all get on okay and don't damage the fencing. Do they stay quiet if there are no females around?
I shall give the vets a ring and ask for a price, I guess that will help me decide :)
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If I read this post correctly then the scrotal sac is gone and the testes are in the body cavity ? if so then neither of the methods mentioned will work it will be more complicated surgery , with stitches and maybe a drain ?? Your lambs are male but not fertile as the heat from the body is to hot , if you castrate you will give them a set back and since you say they are 4mth's old ( not knowing the breed ) will they not be ready to sell or kill soon. As a group they will get on fine , don't know about your fences iv'e never had any rams destroy fences only tall fit young rams sometimes go over a fence
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If these are a) ONLY boys together in one field and b) they go to market/slaughter before September/October time, then there should be no problem. They will grow faster until the autumn, but then they may start and fight as the hormones kick in (esp with females in the vicinity, even if not in the same field). Even though they are probably infertile (as inside the body the higher temperature renders them sterile) they don't know that...
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I suggest getting them away before Autumn and getting an experienced shepherd to give you a hand with ringing next year.
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They would likely be held against the body rather than in the body cavity, though this impairs sperm production it is still possible after a spell of cold weather.
Burdizzo would likely be impossible as there would not be enough scrotum to apply the tool too. They could be surgically removed easily enough if they are next to the abdominal wall rather than internal - but I would just finish them/keep them separate if still around in the Autumn.
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Thanks for all the replies, they are small sheep, mainly Shetlands and Shetland crosses.
I have been helping the current owners with their animals and will be taking the smallholding over in a couple of months, most of the sheep are going but I am/was planning on keeping a few just to help keep the grass down, I don't want to breed or expand with the sheep, sticking to chickens and veg/fruit :)
As the boys are friendly I had hoped to keep some of them, hence the ringing, so there would be no girls here at all, the fence all needs replacing and is being done shortly.
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Think I'd pass them back to current owners and purchase some proper whethers.
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A friendly ram lamb often becomes a violent ram! Sad but true