Ways in tying mature bulls for castration?

Question

restraining bulls more than the recommended age for castration.positions of the operator for castration.where to start tying etc.Discussions on the procedure...

Answer 1

Hi!  I have a few questions for you.  What kind of bulls are they?  If they are registered, they are worth more money as a bull when you sell them.  If you castrate them and they are too big for standards, you won't get a premium price for an extra large steer.  Or are they family pets and you want to keep them around?  I guess what I'm trying to say is what are you going to do with a big steer?

I wouldn't tie them up to castrate them.  They can wreck whatever you have them tied to, or injure themselves, and more importantly, YOU!

If I were you, I would rent a chute and set it up with very good bracing.  Chutes work great and you have ahold of their head and the animal is less likely to get hurt.  After you are sure the bull is restrained, stand behind them (cattle have a harder time kicking backwards than to the sides or forward) and push the nuts up and cut the bottom of the sack off, leaving a hole large enough to pop the nut through.  Slide the skin up and pop the nut out and pull it out.  The bull is gonna fight you, but once you start, you can't stop.  You won't get him in a chute again.  The nuts pull hard, and they are slippery so cloth gloves come in handy for grip if your hands aren't strong.  Once you have one out, then pull the other and we always used a gentle iodine and get a bunch up there in the empty sack, it helps heal faster.  

I would wait until after fly season is over to do this, the x-bull probably won't let you get close to his empty sack to use fly spray.  They will be stiff and sore for a few days, and might go off feed a little.

Good luck, and whatever you do, don't get hurt!  Calling a vet and having them bring out their chute is better than you getting injured!  Hope I helped.  Take care!

Answer 2

http://www.utextension.utk.edu/publicati...

there is a website, but i know most of the stuff myself...I live on a farm and have done it for all my life...my username is tearsforever2007, if you have yahoo messenger you can IM me and we can discuss it...

Answer 3

Have fun and please post video so we can all see it.  This is why we castrate when they are small enough to sit on.

Answer 4

If you are trying to castrate large calves (close to one year in age) or bulls (older than one year) I recommend against any method of castration involving a knife as there is high possibility you will kill the animal due to excessive bleeding.  When I castrated large calves I used the EZE Bloodless Castrator.  And this is the method of castration I would recommend for any calf six months or older.  It is less stressful on animal with a much lower chance of infection as well.  And observations of animal behavior show it is less painful as well as animals return to normal eating habits very shortly after application of band.  This equipment is available at the website listed below.  

As to the restraint of the animal you will need to use a livestock chute.  If animal is one year of age or less have an assistance pull the tail of animal straight up over the back of the calf.  Yes, this does cause some pain for the animal and this is intentional.  The pain inflicted will make it so the calf does not notice what you are doing to a very sensitive area.  This also aids you in doing your job as the tail is out of your way.  If you are doing an animal older than one year additional restraining equipment may be required depending on dispositon of animal.