Features of castration of rams and top 5 methods at home

When sheep reach sexual maturity, they begin to smell bad. These individuals require a foul odor to attract females. However, it can negatively affect the quality characteristics of meat. It will acquire an unpleasant aroma and become unsuitable for food. To get rid of this problem, it is important to promptly castrate the ram, which involves removing its genitals.

What is it for

There are several reasons for castration of rams:

1. The testes should be removed from lambs that are not suitable for breeding. The operation allows you to prevent the birth of lambs from males that do not meet the breed characteristics, and to make adjustments to their behavior. After the procedure, the lambs become calmer, which helps to significantly reduce injuries.
2. Sheep mature much earlier than the body is ready to bear lambs. When females and males are kept together in the same room, there is a risk of non-viable cubs. This is fraught with significant losses. With the help of castration, such problems can be prevented.
3. Lambs are often castrated to correct the taste of the meat. After this procedure, it does not have a bad odor, contains more fat and less fiber.
4. Removal of the gonads has a beneficial effect on the quality and quantity of animal fur. When slaughtering, skinning such sheep is much easier.
5. In more rare cases, rams are castrated if there are medical indications. This is required if a number of diseases or damage to the genital organs are detected.

Carrying out castration of animals in a timely manner helps to eliminate many problems in keeping sheep and significantly increase the profitability of the farm.

At what age should it be done?

Animals reach sexual maturity at six months. In some breeds this happens even earlier. It is best to remove the testes 3-4 weeks before the end of the formation of the genitourinary system. Lambs are castrated no earlier than 3-4 months. If the intervention is performed earlier, there is a risk of significant metabolic disorders and developmental delays. If the operation was performed later, there is a possibility that behavioral sexual reactions will persist for a certain time.

To prevent complications, castration is best performed in the fall or spring. During these periods, temperatures are low and insects are absent. This helps avoid bleeding, inflammation and other problems.

Methods of castration

Various methods can be used to remove genitals. At the same time, many farmers choose bloodless methods. They are considered simpler and ensure rapid recovery of animals.

No blood

The key types of bloodless castration include elastration, destruction of the testicular parenchyma or spermatic cords.

Elastration

This is one of the simplest methods of castration. During the manipulation, special rubber rings are placed on the neck of the scrotum and forceps are used. Both an experienced farmer and a beginner can perform these actions. However, it is better to perform castration with an elastic band up to 4 weeks. Then the testes become greatly enlarged, and therefore using the ring becomes problematic.

Destruction of the spermatic cord

This is a more complex version of castration. It involves using different forceps. The specific variety depends on the age category of the ram. On the first day after surgery, there is a risk of slight swelling of the scrotum. In this case, the general condition of the animal does not change.

Destruction of the testicular parenchyma

This bloodless method takes into account the physiology of the genital organs of animals. However, it is used quite rarely. To castrate an animal this way, you need to use branch-shaped forceps. In appearance they resemble a spoon.

In this case, the body of the testis is placed on one part of the device, and the parenchyma is captured and destroyed by the second.

Bloody

The application of these methods needs more knowledge compared to the previous group. This is due to the need to disrupt the structure of the skin and the risk of infection.

Closed method

This method is suitable for castration of animals of any age category. However, it is most often used at 2-6 months. To do this, you will need to take a scalpel, scissors, and tincture of iodine. You will also need tongs and disinfectant powder.

To carry out the procedure, do the following:

1. Fix the ram and inject 5-10 milliliters of novocaine with a concentration of 0.5% into each testis.
2. Remove hair from the scrotum.
3. Treat the field with iodine solution.
4. Pull the skin of the scrotum down and move the testis up.
5. Cut off the top of the scrotum. It is recommended to do this with sharp scissors.
6. Pull the skin back to the inguinal rings. Then remove the testes.
7. Compress the vessels and spermatic cord with forceps.
8. Cut off the testes with a scalpel. It is recommended to do this 1 centimeter below the clamping area.
9. Place an antiseptic into the resulting wound.

Open way

To perform an open operation, transverse incisions are made at the bottom of the scrotum or when its bottom is cut off. To do this, it is recommended to do the following:

1. Inject anesthetic into several areas of the surgical field.
2. Cut the skin. This should be done in several places. Remove the testicles through the holes. Subsequently, they need to be tied with a ligature. You can also compress the spermatic cords with forceps.
3. Finally, sprinkle the wound with antiseptic powder. If it is large, it is worth placing gauze into the cavity, soaking it with an antibiotic or Iodoform.

Features of castration of old individuals

Old animals need to be castrated to reduce their sex drive and eliminate the unpleasant smell of meat. Sexually mature males have an overdeveloped scrotum. This affects castration.

To complete the procedure you need to do the following:

1. Remove hair from the scrotum and inject novocaine.
2. Secure the male by pulling the pelvic limb towards the head.
3. Cut the skin of the scrotum using a circular method. This should be done until the testicular membrane is reached.
4. Pull up the spermatic cord and secure with forceps.
5. Cut off the testes. This is done with the scrotum and a fragment of the cord.
6. Fix the forceps for 2-3 minutes, then sprinkle the wound with an antiseptic.

Possible complications

Most often, negative consequences occur after open surgery. In this case, rams experience prolapse of the intestinal loop. Prolapse of the spermatic cord is also possible. If such complications are eliminated in time, they will not affect the outcome of the operation.

More dangerous consequences include bleeding. In such a situation, repeated stitching may be necessary. Late complications include the accumulation of clotted blood and infection in the body. If the animal is not helped in time, there is a risk of gangrene, sepsis and death of the pet. Sheep castration can be carried out in various ways. For the procedure to be successful, it is important to choose the right method of surgical intervention and strictly adhere to all rules and instructions.