[Wiltshire1]

Hi folks,

Been having a wonderful time with our first go at lambing. We have 5 ewes, 3 of which have now lambed. We've had 3 set of twins although one twin died at birth. There are 2 boys, which I need to castrate but there is no sign of Testes yet, they are 4 days old. There is no change in consistency throughout the sack. Any advice please?

Thanks

[Rosemary]

I think legally you have to castrate before 7 days otherwise a vet has to do it - others will correct me if I am wrong. I'm not castrating mine at all. One, it keeps my options open if they look good and I want to sell them for breeding and two, I reckion they will be slaughtered early Autumn otherwise so before sexual maturity.

[woollyval]

They will be there just above the sack.....lambs are very good at retraction 

What breed....it does actually make a difference to when is easiest to get hold of em!!

Look in the archive posts I'm sure I put a guide of how to do it on here last year!

[doganjo]

As Rosemary says - can't you just leave them?  It all sounds a bit too complicated for a novice to try.  These are live animals with senses.

[VSS]

Most people tend not to bother any more - now that lambs are usually finished before the autumn there is not the same risk of them acidentally getting things in lamb.

We don't castrate anything as young lambs. Any ram lambs left by tupping time we do with bloodless castrators.

[kanisha]

I'm interested to know how you find that to do in comparison to using a band?  I have two wethers here castrated using that method. generally they seem to still exhibit some male traits and i'm not sure the "castration" is 100% having never used this technique is it fairly easy to do ( with some training)

[dixie]

Wiltshire1- please do not try to castrate or dock your lambs without being taught how to do it properly! This is my first year lambing too, but I have a friend who has been on hand to teach me as we go, certain things should not be done unless you do it properly! and this has to be done by law within the first week of life.

[woollyval]

I'm interested to know how you find that to do in comparison to using a band?  I have two wethers here castrated using that method. generally they seem to still exhibit some male traits and i'm not sure the "castration" is 100% having never used this technique is it fairly easy to do ( with some training)

I don't use this for these reasons! I was nearly killed once by a vasectomised ram.....he had ideas well above his capabilities. If the testicles are still there they do shrivel but....testosterone still seems to be very much in evidence if its not done properly. I have a wether who was surgically castrated at 6 months (not whilst I had him) he shows no male charecteristics at all apart from being big!

[VSS]

I'm interested to know how you find that to do in comparison to using a band?  I have two wethers here castrated using that method. generally they seem to still exhibit some male traits and i'm not sure the "castration" is 100% having never used this technique is it fairly easy to do ( with some training)

We find it pretty good, but your do have to make sure that the cord is properly severed - you should be able to do this by feeling the scrotum. We also make two cuts on each side to make sure. The usual guidance about keeping them away from females for about a month applies.

It is very handy for just doing the odd few. I wouldn't want to do huge numbers like this though as the sheep has to be turned over and to be safe it is better to have two people, one to hold the sheep and one to hold the castrators. They do wriggle abit and I don't suppose it is very pleasant for the sheep, but then neither is surgical castration and at least this way there is not the risk of infection.

The castrators are precision peices of kit and need to be well looked after, and stored open. Test them each time before use by laying a peice of string between two peices of paper. If they cut the string and not the paper they are fine.

[woollyval]

Thanks VSS.....very good description!!!

[Wiltshire1]

Thanks for all the advice. Looked again last night but still too fiddely for me. Decided to leave them and either they will go off before maturity or I'll get the vet out to do them.

Still waiting on my last 2 ewes - been convinced about 1 of them all weekend but still no go! My neighbour said 'maybe your ram had a week off!'

Cheers

[doganjo]

Sensible decision from what I've read on here.  You don't want to hurt them, especially if it's not the norm any more

[swalemum]

Hi there

My husbands brilliant at ringing the boys so when he gets off his treadmill I will get him to tell me how he does it!

He rings all the boys and all the tails at 24 hours ish, basically we leave the new mums in the field till the following afternoon, walk them in through the shed, ring the lambs and then send them out to the clean field where all the new mums are. Works a treat!

Here we go! Sit on a log and put the lamb on your thigh if you are right handed put it on your left thigh. Put the ring over the scrotum in the applicator pushing in a downward motion between the nipples and scrotum and press your index and forefinger on the bottom side of the scrotum pulling both stones up and pull them backwards and holding them with those fingers almost trapping the cord between your fingers and the stretched ring. Slowly release the ring - you will not trap your fingers! Take care when withdrawing applicater not to open the ring at all. He tends to push the ring off rather than pull the applicator off. He finds it easy, rarely having a problem and always within the 24 hours. You must check that both stones are there. If you have missed one or both take the ring off and try again after 12 hours or so. It is not difficult to get the ring off and you wont hurt the lamb so dont worry! It is knack and confidence!

Hope that helps, good luck!