# Wethering at birth?



## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

I saw Vicki mentioned wethering at birth. Could you explain how to do that for someone who has never wethered before? What do you use to cut? How do you disinfect? Do you give a tetnus antitoxin? What's it like for the goat to be wethered so tiny? Easier?


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## Qadosh Adamah Lamanchas (Nov 2, 2012)

I have friends who wether at birth. They use a bander and the mother normally will have had her CDT while pregnant and the kid will be on his schedule as well.


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## VictoriaK (Jul 8, 2012)

Ive never wethered at birth, but when they are disbudded they are also wethered. 
At a very young age, it is easy to simply use chlorahexidine, or another disinfectant
to scrub the testicles, and use a surgical blade to cut the nut sac and pull the testicles out. 
THey are up and bouncing around by the next day..not for the faint of heart though. 
I learned from watching calves being castrated, and also sheep on you tube...

As was mentioned, no tetnaus needed, long as the doe got her booster pre kidding..


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## Horsehair Braider (Mar 11, 2011)

I don't do mine at birth but at less than one week old. As mentioned as long as you booster the dam the kid is going to be just fine. Mine don't even notice. Within about 15 minutes it's over and done with. 

My vet showed me how to do it, and not being a great writer I don't think I can explain it but VictoriaK did a good job. Once I saw how easy it was, and how easy it was on the kids, I was sold and have done it that way for years. The vet I used to have believed that banding was cruel, and that is why she taught me to do it this way. She did not want me banding. I am not totally convinced myself banding is cruel, but you know, she was my vet and I had to work with her. I did it her way because of that, but it worked out so well I am happy I learned to do it that way.


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## Caprine Beings (Sep 19, 2008)

Ours also get done the same time as disbudding. Usually between 5-7 days old.
Tam


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## VictoriaK (Jul 8, 2012)

Diddo on the cruelty of banding. THe last little guy I banded was a bit of a drama king to begin with. 
He was 100% miserable for two long days after being banded, I had to find a better way, cutting is
so much nicer, and as long as they are young, some times they just go nurse, and then are fine..
though a few of them are a bit more whimpy about the whole.."HEY!!! I had plans for those things!!!"


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

Burdizzo is pretty easy on them too.


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## Qadosh Adamah Lamanchas (Nov 2, 2012)

I'd be nervous using a burdizzo that young. Those little testicles are so little, I'd be afraid I'd be crushing those instead of the cord.


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## doublebowgoats (Mar 6, 2008)

I agree, Adrienne. A burdizzo (at least the models I have seen) is definitely not made for small animals, so I wouldn't use it on a newborn.


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## Guest (Dec 1, 2012)

Burdizzo's are very easy to use..and yes you can use them on small animals.. I use them on ND's when they are about five days old.. you take hold of the testicle sac, make sure to pull the testicle inside of it down and hold and with the other hand.. you clamp, move and clamp again slightly higher or lower.. I clamp each side twice to make sure that I crush the cord.. This is usually with a helper holding the baby goat.. No blood, no flies.. and the kids are usually playing by the next day.. acting normal.. it swells up a little but not much.. 
Barb


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## lorit (May 10, 2010)

I've done both surgical and banding on my boys and I FAR and away prefer surgical at a few days old. They don't seem to be bothered any longer than the amount of time they are confined on my lap. Once up and back in their pen, they are fine. Never had any problems. 
It is the exact same method my vet used to castrate my piglets. Had to use vet on them cuz I waited til they were a month and they needed to be put out - no holding a month old piglet still - next time am thinking to try my piglets myself doing it within that first week. And "myself" is relative - ya up to trying pigs Victoria?


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## VictoriaK (Jul 8, 2012)

lorit said:


> I've done both surgical and banding on my boys and I FAR and away prefer surgical at a few days old. They don't seem to be bothered any longer than the amount of time they are confined on my lap. Once up and back in their pen, they are fine. Never had any problems.
> It is the exact same method my vet used to castrate my piglets. Had to use vet on them cuz I waited til they were a month and they needed to be put out - no holding a month old piglet still - next time am thinking to try my piglets myself doing it within that first week. And "myself" is relative - ya up to trying pigs Victoria?


Let me check and see if there are ''classes''on that one!! teeeheee...(you tube that is!!) long as it's early enough, why not??


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## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

Thanks for the info! I did see the cutting method demonstrated at the vet, but the bucks were 6-8 weeks old. Thinking about how tiny the testicles are on a newborn, it seems like it would be way easier. I'm thinking I may wether any bucks not spoken for by a week. That way I can have them as my relief milkers, and can sell doelings when demand is high (assuming things follow the same pattern next year as they did this year). I also had a few people ask for wethers. But any not sold can be butchered when breeding season rolls around. Just trying to adjust to the new market. It isn't exactly the same here as it was for me in Texas. I sold alot of goats, but I don't think I was really in sync with the market demands.


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

I do the cut and rip method, although I don't use any disinfectant. There is none to very little blood. I use a surgical blade and it slices cleanly. They are up and bouncing around in no time flat.

Burdizzo........I'm laughing at myself because I thought you were SUPPOSED to squash the testicles, not the cord. Thanks for your description, Barb. Glad I don't do that one because I would have done it wrong, but I would have had my vet show me first anyway.

Piglets are another story. They don't have an external sac that pulls out. You have to slice twice and go in and get those little suckers. This spring, I had my vet come and show me. I did the first one ok, but the second one, well I just couldn't get that testicle out! I decided that the next litter, I'd just pay for the vet to do it. We put 6 boys in the backseat floor of the cab of the pickup and brought them in. It was worth the money. Once we get bigger, I'll have to do it myself, otherwise it won't be cost-effective, but for now, I'm happy to pay someone else.


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## VictoriaK (Jul 8, 2012)

MF-Alpines said:


> I do the cut and rip method, although I don't use any disinfectant. There is none to very little blood. I use a surgical blade and it slices cleanly. They are up and bouncing around in no time flat.
> 
> Burdizzo........I'm laughing at myself because I thought you were SUPPOSED to squash the testicles, not the cord. Thanks for your description, Barb. Glad I don't do that one because I would have done it wrong, but I would have had my vet show me first anyway.
> 
> Piglets are another story. They don't have an external sac that pulls out. You have to slice twice and go in and get those little suckers. This spring, I had my vet come and show me. I did the first one ok, but the second one, well I just couldn't get that testicle out! I decided that the next litter, I'd just pay for the vet to do it. We put 6 boys in the backseat floor of the cab of the pickup and brought them in. It was worth the money. Once we get bigger, I'll have to do it myself, otherwise it won't be cost-effective, but for now, I'm happy to pay someone else.


Cindy, 
Did the vet set the piglets up on their butt and pull the legs up and cut??
I think it would be the same as doing wethers,although them nuts are tucked in
same as the crypt orchid 
dudes, just a matter of having a good holder..??


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

VictoriaK said:


> Cindy,
> Did the vet set the piglets up on their butt and pull the legs up and cut??
> I think it would be the same as doing wethers,although them nuts are tucked in
> same as the crypt orchid
> dudes, just a matter of having a good holder..??


Yes, I have a holder; my DH. Still, it's harder to perform than goats. You have to make the cuts in the correct place, they're internal vs external, it's just harder, IMO. Some day.


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## Good Goats (Oct 26, 2007)

I'm typically just a lurker here, but since someone mentioned castrating pigs, thought I would share a video. Normally we do piglets when they are very small, these ones we got when they were older though and they needed to be castrated. It's quite gruesome, but if you want to see... here you go :O.


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

When we brought my pet (pot belly) pig to the vet to have him castrated, he had the vet tech hold the pig upside down by its hind legs, belly outward, head between her knees. He did the incisions in the lower portion of the pig's belly, went in and got the testicles (one at a time, one incision for each) and scraped the cord with his scalpel until it was cut, rather than a direct sort of slicing. Well-squirted with iodine, no sutures. The pig squealed more at being restrained than at the incisions. No anesthesia (dangerous with pigs, anyhow), but a good shot of antibiotics. He was doing very well in a day or two and we just had to keep things clean and a close eye on the incisions until they healed. 

As for banding, that is what we have done with goats so far. We give them banamine beforehand and that makes a HUGE difference with how they feel afterwards. We usually also give it the next day, but after that, they don't seem to be bothered.


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## VictoriaK (Jul 8, 2012)

Good Goats said:


> I'm typically just a lurker here, but since someone mentioned castrating pigs, thought I would share a video. Normally we do piglets when they are very small, these ones we got when they were older though and they needed to be castrated. It's quite gruesome, but if you want to see... here you go :O.


That was not as grewsome as I anticipated!! Quite easy!
No different than doing goats aside from the conformation of the sac...

I have to ask...what do they taste like?? I heard a little kid say..yummm when you showed them huge 
testilcles...ofcourse, we never castrate goats that are huge, but I am just curious.


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

I haven't tried pig ones, but the goat's were pretty good. I way overcooked them though, so they were kind of "mushy" which was a little gross. They really don't have much flavor on their own, just whatever they're cooked in.


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## VictoriaK (Jul 8, 2012)

eu...i did ask didn't I... :sigh

I wouldn't mind being able to try them, hmmm..maybe this year?
Just the actual thought of what it is kind of ..well..bothers me... :/

I can say now though that I have tried cat...a neighbor shot a cougar this November...
we are quite riddled by them rite now..normally it really irritates me, but when I found out
they were eating it, I felt a bit better about it. Most hot heads out here kill them just to kill them, like 
the coyotes, just cuz they are there..

BTW the cat, cooked up just like pork, tasted like pork, my daughter said it tasted like..
chineese food!!


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

VictoriaK said:


> BTW the cat, cooked up just like pork, tasted like pork, my daughter said it tasted like..
> chineese food!!


So this begs the question, when you're out eating Chinese food, is it really pork you are eating? Or cat? :lol


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## VictoriaK (Jul 8, 2012)

MF-Alpines said:


> VictoriaK said:
> 
> 
> > BTW the cat, cooked up just like pork, tasted like pork, my daughter said it tasted like..
> ...


Um..yea...well, nothing would surprise me... :/ i swear ya can't tell the difference!!


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## Island Creek Farm (Jun 16, 2010)

MF-Alpines said:


> I do the cut and rip method, although I don't use any disinfectant. There is none to very little blood. I use a surgical blade and it slices cleanly. They are up and bouncing around in no time flat.


Cut and rip?


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## VictoriaK (Jul 8, 2012)

Whaen the babies are small, all ya gotta do is cut the end of the testicles, pop out the little thing, and pull. 
There really is no need for cutting the testicle away as it will normally not even bled if done young, and
torn tissue heals faster than cut. 
I only use the chlorahexidine because I am a vet tech and worry about infection, though I am sure 
it would never happen, but they are goats, and this is an open incision.


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## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

So do you leave the sack?


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

You cut the bottom part of the scrotum clean off.

Pulling out the testicles like Victoria describes will stretch the vessels, so they don't bleed so much. It is the same thing that happens when you dehorn a calf and twist and twist the bleeders with hemostats until they come off-they stretch so they don't bleed any more.


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## VictoriaK (Jul 8, 2012)

I just slice the sac open, leave it..and it shrivels up..

With older kids, I use two clamps , giving as much space inbetween
to scrape the vessels, so they dont bleed, if you slice the vessil, there will be quite a bit of blood
and there is a nice amount of swelling as well...another reason to castrate early..
although theres not alot of meat at a young age..wait..did I just say that???


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

You could leave one intact and grow him up to butcher size, then keep the "Rocky Mountain Oysters" as well.


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