Castration in bulls

CASTRATION IN BULLS

Age of castration

  • Calves - 2 months
  • Adults - At any age

Indications

  • To make the animal docile.
  • For easy management and maintenance as working cattle.
  • For quick and economic fattening of beef cattle.

Methods

  • Closed method of castration using Burdizzo castrator. (Click here to view picture).
  • Open method (a) Open uncovered method (b) Open covered method
  • Ablation of scrotal skin

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Closed method of castration

Anaesthesia

  • Epidural anaesthesia can be given in academic institutions and veterinary centers. But in field conditions no anaesthesia is required.

Procedure

  • Restrain the calf/bull in a chute.
  • From behind the animal the scrotum along with testis is held with hand.
  • Keep the spermatic cord tense against the skin of the scrotum
  • The Burdizzo castrator is applied over the one side of the scrotal skin (ie. on spermatic cord) and the crush it.
  • Apply the castrator on another side and proceed the same procedure.
  • Care should be taken that the crush marks on the either side do not coincide.
  • Each side of the spermatic cord is crushed two times. The crushing is done in such a way that first at higher level and then an inch lower. (Click here to view picture)
  • After crushing the testicle is pushed upwards after removing the castrator to prevent the adhesions at the points crushed.

Precautions to be taken

  • Care should be taken to avoid crushing the testicles.
  • The sigmoid flexure of the penis should not be included with in the jaws of the castrator while crushing.
  • The crushing lines on the skin on the either side should not coincide because it may cause sloughing of scrotal skin. (Click here to view picture)

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Open method of castration

Procedure

  • In the open uncovered method, the skin and tunica vaginalis are incised to expose the testicle and spermatic cord.
  • The testicle is then removed by cutting spermatic cord. In the open uncovered method the tunica vaginalis is not incised.
  • The testis and spermatic cord are pulled out along with their covering of tunica vaginalis and the testicle covered with tunica vaginalis is removed by severing the spermatic cord as such.
  • The incision over the scrotum can be made on any side like anterior, lateral or posterior aspects of the each testicle. If you want to remove both the testes, it can be done by single incision on the median scrotal raphe. But in any case the incision is extended ventrally to provide drainage.

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Open covered method

Procedure

  • Secure the animal in lateral recumbency.
  • Pull the upper limb forward to expose the testis.
  • Make a 10-15 cm long vertical skin incision over the median scrotal raphe.
  • Separate the dartos and fascia by blunt dissection; exteriorize the testis along with spermatic cord enclosed in the vaginal tunic.
  • Ligate the entire cord with heavy chromic catgut.
  • The cord is transected and the testicle is removed.
  • Exteriorize another testis through the same incision and remove as per the same procedure.
  • The scrotal wound can either be sutured or left open for drainage and spontaneous healing

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Open uncovered method

Procedure

  • Secure the animal in lateral recumbency.
  • Pull the upper limb forward to expose the testis.
  • Hold the testes in such a way that scrotal skin and tunica vaginalis are held tense.
  • Make a 10-15 cm long vertical skin incision over the median scrotal raphe.
  • Separate the dartos and fascia by blunt dissection; exteriorize the testis along with spermatic cord enclosed in the vaginal tunic.
  • Expose the spermatic cord by incising tunica vaginalis.
  • The vascular bundle of the spermatic cord is ligated as high as possible and is severed a little distance below the ligature.
  • The testicle is removed.
  • Exteriorize another testis through the same incision and remove as per the same procedure.
  • The scrotal wound can either be sutured or left open after trimming the excessive skin for drainage and spontaneous healing

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Ablation of the scrotal skin

  • This is another method can be applied in bull, ram and buck for castration.
  • Sedate or tranquilize the animal.
  • Infiltrate local anaesthetic around the spermatic cord.
  • Make a circular skin incision on the scrotum about 5 cms from its base.
  • Expose the spermatic cords and separate it from the scrotal septum.
  • Ligate the cords and then crush and severe about 1 cm down the external inguinal ring.
  • Suture the subcutaneous tissue and skin as standard procedure.

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Last modified: Thursday, 7 June 2012, 4:01 AM