I attempted the burdizzo for the first time with my 6 week old buckling tonight. He might have been too small still, as it was difficult to keep the cord toward the outside so I could clamp it in the burdizzo. Then I tried to feel if the cord was severed or pinched after holding the tool closed for 5 seconds, then releasing, but with the fast swelling I wasn't sure I was successful. Would I be able to feel a difference in the cord afterward? I guess I'll wait a few weeks and observe to see if it worked... Any tips for future wetherings? I read the tips on the Fiasco Farm website several times before going ahead (and even watched a youtube clip I found).
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Check the testicles every week or two, and they should be shrinking. Measure them against your fingers. Basically, lay the testicles on your fingers to see how long they are, and they should shrink up and get smaller.
It depends on how old the boys are when castrated, but the constant bucky behavior should subside fairly soon. Wethers -- even those castrated with methods that totally remove testicles -- can act bucky around a doe in heat. I used to have one that really did not know he was a wether. He was great for letting me know which does were in heat.
I am starting to understand why some people are not fond of the Burdizzo. I've been using it for somewhere around 6 years or so on goats, and it has always worked well, even when I did a 3-year-old la mancha buck. However, last year was the first time I castrated sheep in 3-4 years because some of the spring lambs were not big enough to butcher in the fall, and we had a failure somewhere, as I have close to a dozen lambs bouncing around my pasture. I don't know what the difference is between goats and sheep, but it doesn't seem to work as well on the sheep.
Hello Ladies! I wanted to follow up on this conversation. So, as I said before, the burdizzo I ordered online looked a little "iffy" to me. I had been feeling a bit shaky about doing it anyway. So, I called around and found a vet in the area that does burdizzo castration. I just really wanted to see it done the first time and see what kind of instrument he had. Turns out, they don't use it very often - he said this was the first special request for a burdizzo castration that he could remember in a long time. They had an original Burdizzo made in La Morra, Italy. Sure enough, the one I ordered had a gap at either end where the "jaw" clamped down, and his did not. He agreed that it could be problematic in that the cord could slip into the gap. Anyway, I got to watch him do both bucklings and feel very confident now that I can do it myself next time, with the right instrument, of course! :)
He was curious as to why I wanted to do it this way and I told him about this forum and you, Deborah. He was surprised that you use the burdizzo exclusively with such success. He seemed very impressed at how quick and easy it was, with only a few moments trauma. No need for tetanus shots or extra precautions due to open wounds, etc. So, maybe this is something he will consider doing more of in the future. Let's hope! And, he didn't charge me very much at all. It literally took him less than 10 minutes to do both bucks.
The only question I still have (since I am still paranoid about them being around my little doeling until I am positive it "took") is if it's normal for them to still exhibit "bucky" behavior even after being castrated?
Where did you purchase your Burdizzo? I got one on Ebay, but I think it is the cheaper model that has open gaps on either end of the clamp. I've read that the cord can slip into those gaps and mess up the process. I don't want to have to do this more than once!
Yes, I have been doing a little "exploring" when the boys sit still enough to let me. I'm sure if someone peered over my fence and saw me, they would think I was some kind of degenerate! LOL!
By watching that video, I think you get a fairly good idea of where to pinch -- and in NDs, there is not that much room! You just need to make sure you feel the cord, and it really is unmistakable. You can even find it long before you are castrating, so if you have trouble, you can ask on here again for clarification. One reason I do not castrate much earlier than 2 months is because their scrotums are so tiny.
Thanks, ladies. I would sure love to watch someone use the Burdizzo on little guys like mine before I try it. Just worried I won't do it right and I don't want to put them through any more trauma than necessary.
What a video! Definitely an adult buck, and I wonder what breed. I don't think it is anything in North America. I have never seen a buck with a separate scrotum for each testicle, so maybe that also had something to do with why he did it the way he did.
No, you do not have to clamp the scrotum in two places, nor do you have to hold it there for so long. Geez! About 3-5 seconds is plenty, which is about how long it takes me to get the burdizzo unclamped.
If you castrate your little guys by two months of age, there is no need to ever separate them from mom and the other does.
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Lol! Yes, my wether got frisky too last year when the does were in heat. Funny. The boys are 8 weeks old today.
Check the testicles every week or two, and they should be shrinking. Measure them against your fingers. Basically, lay the testicles on your fingers to see how long they are, and they should shrink up and get smaller.
It depends on how old the boys are when castrated, but the constant bucky behavior should subside fairly soon. Wethers -- even those castrated with methods that totally remove testicles -- can act bucky around a doe in heat. I used to have one that really did not know he was a wether. He was great for letting me know which does were in heat.
I am starting to understand why some people are not fond of the Burdizzo. I've been using it for somewhere around 6 years or so on goats, and it has always worked well, even when I did a 3-year-old la mancha buck. However, last year was the first time I castrated sheep in 3-4 years because some of the spring lambs were not big enough to butcher in the fall, and we had a failure somewhere, as I have close to a dozen lambs bouncing around my pasture. I don't know what the difference is between goats and sheep, but it doesn't seem to work as well on the sheep.
Hello Ladies! I wanted to follow up on this conversation. So, as I said before, the burdizzo I ordered online looked a little "iffy" to me. I had been feeling a bit shaky about doing it anyway. So, I called around and found a vet in the area that does burdizzo castration. I just really wanted to see it done the first time and see what kind of instrument he had. Turns out, they don't use it very often - he said this was the first special request for a burdizzo castration that he could remember in a long time. They had an original Burdizzo made in La Morra, Italy. Sure enough, the one I ordered had a gap at either end where the "jaw" clamped down, and his did not. He agreed that it could be problematic in that the cord could slip into the gap. Anyway, I got to watch him do both bucklings and feel very confident now that I can do it myself next time, with the right instrument, of course! :)
He was curious as to why I wanted to do it this way and I told him about this forum and you, Deborah. He was surprised that you use the burdizzo exclusively with such success. He seemed very impressed at how quick and easy it was, with only a few moments trauma. No need for tetanus shots or extra precautions due to open wounds, etc. So, maybe this is something he will consider doing more of in the future. Let's hope! And, he didn't charge me very much at all. It literally took him less than 10 minutes to do both bucks.
The only question I still have (since I am still paranoid about them being around my little doeling until I am positive it "took") is if it's normal for them to still exhibit "bucky" behavior even after being castrated?
Thanks for all of your help and hand holding!
http://www.caprinesupply.com/small-burdizzo.html
Where did you purchase your Burdizzo? I got one on Ebay, but I think it is the cheaper model that has open gaps on either end of the clamp. I've read that the cord can slip into those gaps and mess up the process. I don't want to have to do this more than once!
Yes, I have been doing a little "exploring" when the boys sit still enough to let me. I'm sure if someone peered over my fence and saw me, they would think I was some kind of degenerate! LOL!
Thanks, ladies. I would sure love to watch someone use the Burdizzo on little guys like mine before I try it. Just worried I won't do it right and I don't want to put them through any more trauma than necessary.
No, you do not have to clamp the scrotum in two places, nor do you have to hold it there for so long. Geez! About 3-5 seconds is plenty, which is about how long it takes me to get the burdizzo unclamped.
If you castrate your little guys by two months of age, there is no need to ever separate them from mom and the other does.
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