Castrating Beef Calves - Walker

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Before beginning castration,one needs to know a littleabout the anatomy of the area.Important structures include thescrotum, testicles and spermaticcord (Figure 2).The scrotum (sac) is a bag ofnormal skin that holds the testicles.The scrotum is divided intotwo halves by a membrane calledthe scrotal septum.Each testicle is covered by atough, strong membrane called thevaginal tunic. The vaginal tuniccovering each testicle needs to beremoved during surgical castrationor swelling and infection are morelikely to result.The spermatic cord attachesto the top of the testicle. Inaddition to carrying sperm fromthe testicle, the spermatic cordcontains all the blood supply tothe testicles.The testicles produce themale hormone (testosterone)and sperm.The first step in any castrationprocedure is to examine thecontents of the scrotum. Twodescended testicles should befound. Removal of these testiclesis the object of castration.Sometimes problems may befound during examination, suchas finding only one testicle. Theother testicle is probably up inthe abdomen and this calf shouldnot be castrated. Contact yourveterinarian for help. About oneout of 200 calves will be affectedby this heritable condition calledCryptorchidism.The other problem is inguinalhernia. This problem occursFigure 2. Anatomy of reproductive tract of the bull.rarely, but affected calves have alarger than normal opening intothe abdomen, allowing intestinesto get into the scrotum. One sideof the scrotum is usually affectedand this side will appear unusuallylarge, often near the top. Usuallytwo testicles can be felt. In addition,the enlarged area will feelsoft and mushy (Figure 3). DONOT ATTEMPT TO CAS-TRATE CALVES WITH EI-THER OF THESE CONDI-TIONS. Call your veterinarian foradvice and help.Surgical castration is preferred.A correctly surgicallycastrated calf will have lessdepression of weight gains and alower incidence of infections thancalves castrated by other methods.Most importantly, a surgicallycastrated calf is almost certainlyFigure 3. Examples of Cryptorchidism(top) and inguinal hernia (bottom).
completely castrated. <strong>Calves</strong>castrated by other methods areoften incompletely castrated andwill be discounted in the calf’ssale price. These calves will sellfor about $4 per hundredweightless than properly castrated calves.These facts make surgical castrationthe procedure of choice.The equipment needed forsurgical castration includes:• a clean bucket and water• disinfectant such aschlorhexadine or providol iodine• a Newberry knife, scalpel orother sharp knife• either emasculators, surgicalclamps or a dull knife.The first step in surgicalcastration is opening the skin ofthe scrotum. An important point toremember is that a larger openingis always better than a smallerone. Smaller openings do notallow adequate draining and couldresult in a much higher incidenceof infection following castration.Cleanliness is also important.Instruments should be clean andmaintained in a bucket with waterand disinfectant. Hands should bewashed in the disinfectant beforebeginning and between calves.Avoid touching the chute or thecalf’s body. If the scrotum is dirty,it should be washed with disinfectant.The water and disinfectantshould be replaced after 15 calvesare castrated because the waterwill become dirty and the disinfectantwill be ineffective.A very good method ofopening the scrotum is by use ofthe Newberry knife (Figure 4).Figure 4. The Newberry knife is anexcellent, safe tool for opening thescrotum.Before the Newberry knifehas been removed from thedisinfectant, one hand is used topull the scrotum down and back.The jaws of the Newberryknife are opened and the blade isplaced against the side of thescrotum as high as possible butbelow the testicles to avoid cuttingthem. The blade should always beused at least half way up thelength of the scrotum (remember,Figure 5. Procedure for using theNewberry knife to open a scrotum.a bigger opening is better than asmaller opening). The jaws of theNewberry knife are closed bysqueezing the handles from side toside. The scrotum is then openedby forcefully pulling the Newberryknife down and back at a 45-degree angle. The result is anincision down both sides of thescrotum (Figure 5).Another proven method ofopening the scrotum is to removethe bottom one-third to one-half ofthe scrotum, using a sharp knife orscalpel. The bottom of the scrotumis pulled down and back with onehand (using surgical clamps orpliers is safer), while the otherhand cuts off the bottom of thescrotum from side to side (Figure6). Be careful not to cut thetesticles, your other hand or thebig vein inside the calf’s leg.Figure 6. A clean, sharp knife orscalpel are proven methods for openingthe scrotum.Next, grasp the tuniccoveredtesticle and pull it downand back with one hand while theother hand pushes the scrotal skinup (Figure 7).Keep pulling slowly on thetesticle until you feel the muscle inthe spermatic cord separate.
Page 3: Fred M. Hopkins, Professor, Departm
Page 7: side to ensure successful surgery.D

Castrating Beef Calves - Walker

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