In the spirit of what I've been doing recently, I'll talk about the best way to castrate your baby goats & sheep. I class these two together because the process is the same. It's different for pigs and cattle, so I'll talk about those later. And yes I have experience with all, including chickens (to make capons). For ease of explanation, I'll stick to goats for now, just know that everything here can be used identically for sheep.
The very first thing you'll want to do is make sure your baby(ies) are actually boys or bucklings (rams). Sounds simple, right? In fact it really is. When your baby is born you can either lift the tail or feel between the legs for the scrotum. Once you have your boy identified, next thing you will want to do is make sure he has both testicles descended. Palpate the scrotum between your thumb and other fingers and feel for two semi-elongated firm testicles. If they are both present, you are good to proceed. The absence of one or both is a uni- or bi-lateral cryptochid and should never be kept for breeding under any circumstances! You'll want to send that one out of the herd altogether as they can rarely be successfully castrated without veterinary intervention. Sometimes waiting a little while to see if they will drop is okay, but plan to send him along if they don't after a few weeks.
Next you'll need to gather your supplies together. I recommend the following:
1. Scalpel, new disposable or make sure to have new blades if you have a re-usable handle, if you are going to be doing a lot of boys, you'll want to change the blade after every 10 or so as it does tend to get dull after awhile
2. Chlorhexadine (also called Nolvasan) is a disinfectant that you mix with water. The water should be a light to medium blue. You can put this in a spray bottle, it's used to disinfect the area you'll be working on the animal.
3. Alcohol and a small bowl/jar, this is used to put the scalpel in between babies to keep it completely clean
4. Paper towels
5. Scarlet oil in a spray bottle to spray on and around the affected area.
6. Notepad and pen/pencil to keep track of the babies that have been done.
7. Helper, someone to wrangle the babies and hold them for castrating.
8. Chair for the helper to sit and hold the babies.
9. Box or container for the discarded 'parts'
10. Hand sanitizer, for you to sanitize your hands in between babies. If it's warm enough a bucket of water, soap, and a clean towel work well also.
11. A clean stall or jug with fresh bedding for the new little wethers to go into after the procedure so you can watch them awhile for signs of shock.
12. Penicillin is optional, but you certainly can dose them with a quick shot if you are feeling nervous or if the babies will be in an unusually filthy area after they are done. If your goats are in a clean pasture, this is not absolutely necessary
Never castrate any baby older than a few weeks to a month of age. While an older goat can be castrated, I honestly do not recommend it as the blood flow will have been established by around 2-3 months of age. So if you plan on keeping those boys with does/ewes without worrying about them breeding, pull their boy parts out early! Also bear in mind that the older the baby is at castrating, the bigger they will be and the harder to hold down. Additionally remember if you plan to sell, that castrated goats and sheep (wethers) have a lot more salable uses than do their intact counterparts.
Now then, you have everything set out and ready to go, the scalpel should be in the alcohol and the Novalsan mixed up. Make sure your hands are clean. Go fetch your first little boy and have your helper sit in the chair. The helper should hold the baby on its back/butt with feet up and facing you. Have your helper put the left knee and hock in one hand and the right knee and hock in the other. It works best with the foreleg to the outside of the rear leg. The helper should then gently spread the legs apart. The belly and especially the scrotum should be well exposed by using this holding technique. The helper needs to be expecting the baby to struggle and hold on tightly no matter what.
Spray the scrotum with the Nolvasan solution, soaking the entire area thoroughly, be generous in the dousing including near portion of the legs and even the tail if it gets in the way. Take up the scalpel and pinch out the bottom of the scrotum. You'll want to apply some pressure to minimize the number of times you need to cut. In a clean stroke remove the bottom 1/3 of the scrotum. The baby will scream, this is normal! I promise the baby will forget all about it in no time! Toss the piece of scrotum in the offal container and then pinch the top of what's remaining of the scrotum above the testicles with one hand, with the other hand grab the testicle and slowly pull it from the scrotum. The pinching hand is there to aid in preventing pulling anything else out with the testicle, so be aware of what you're feeling there! You want a slow even pressure until the testicle comes free, never yank or jerk as you could pull something else out with it. Make sure the entire testicle comes out, including any cord that might break early. Repeat with the other testicle, never releasing the pinching hand the entire time (or you could risk the other testicle being pulled into the body!). Before you release the pinching hand, make sure to pull off anything that could hang down below the opening, fat or anything. If you leave anything hanging out, you risk it becoming an entrance for bacteria into the wound. Then your helper can release the rear legs and you should spray the entire area thoroughly with scarlet oil. Place the baby on it's feet in the clean stall/jug/pen and stand back and watch for a few minutes. The baby may go lay down for awhile, this is perfectly normal. After awhile the baby can be returned to it's mother for affection and comfort.
Now, some people ask me why I am not an advocate for banding. I have several reasons, not the least of which is that it requires specialized equipment to do it! You have to have a bander and bands. Then there is the increased risk of infection and gangrene. Plus if improperly placed, you can actually inadvertently miss a testicle! Then you are no better off than before. I simply much prefer to slice and pull. There is no way with this method that you will ever miss a testicle...ever. Not if you are certain that you pulled both of them in entirety.
Good luck!
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Breeds: Chickens for the Homesteader
When you are browsing around the internet, trying to locate the perfect breed for your personal situation, you really need to take a few things into consideration. The first should be one of the most important, are you permitted to have poultry in your area? If you live in an agricultural area, you probably have no restrictions. If you are residential, you will certainly want to check into the regulations before bringing in any poultry to your homestead. Then subsequent questions should be: how will you house your birds? For what purpose will your birds be used? Do you want to purchase new replacements every other/every year or raise from within your own flock? Are you content to watch your birds from a distance, or want something that will be more friendly & personable? Answering these questions before you start to look will help you narrow down your search dramatically.
For instance, if you only have a small area to house your birds, you will be best off looking at bantam breeds rather than the larger ones. Many of the smaller bantam breeds are just as hardy as larger breeds. Several of them make excellent laying birds and the best of the setting birds are bantams (Silkies). Bantam birds make excellent lawn birds as there are several ornamental breeds (Old English Game Birds - OEGB and Japanese to name a couple) that would look charming strutting across the garden. Bantams do an excellent job at keeping unwanted insects at bay. They also often do very well in a caged bird situation, making them ideal for folk that want birds but cannot risk allowing them free range around the home. They can sometimes be a little more on the aggressive side, though not all the bantam breeds are so. Their eggs are a little on the smaller end, coming more in the small to medium range, though just as nutritious as any other home-grown egg. If you are considering a bantam breed, try to start with some of the more common varieties, as some of the more rare ones do tend to be slightly more difficult to raise from chick.
If you are looking for birds strictly to raise for meat, keep in mind that you really should not be considering raising any of them to breeding age. These birds are often crossbreds, the most common of them being the Cornish Rock, though there are several other crossbreds that will grow quickly to a suitable weight/size and convert their feed efficiently to muscle mass. These birds can also have other potential problems because they are bred specifically to grow as fast as possible with as much musculature as possible, sometimes the bone structure cannot keep up. This is another reason to grow them out only for the table. Also remember that crossbreds do not breed true in most cases. So bred together, these birds may not give you the same fast-growing offspring that you can easily purchase. Expect to feed these birds as much as they will possibly eat for between 6-8 weeks for fryer sized carcasses, 10-12 weeks for broiler sized, and 14-16 weeks for roaster sized (this can vary though).
If you are looking for birds strictly to raise for eggs, expect the birds to be smaller in overall size and 'hotter' in temperament. The most famous of these breeds is the Leghorn, which is traditionally the only breed that lays white eggs (crossbreeding has changed this somewhat). Another breed, which is an offshoot of the Leghorn is the Californian, which basically looks like a Leghorn with black spots. These breeds are very lean in appearance, you can expect to see your birds starting to lay early, and usually give an egg every day. They also tend to have prolonged laying periods, some laying an egg a day for a few years or more! However, these breeds also tend to have very lean carcasses and as such excess roosters don't serve that great a purpose. When I say 'hot' I mean don't expect your layer-only birds to come running for attention when you open the door!
Many homesteaders are looking for the ideal combination of meat and eggs in their chicken flock. And why not throw in some fancy plumage or coloration while you're at it to give yourself something pretty to watch every day? A good dual or multi-purpose breed should have a large overall size, good egg-laying skills, good meat accumulation, and ease of raising/care. For a beginner hardiness should also be important. Probably the single most common dual-purpose breed that exists is the Rhode Island Red or RIR. The roosters are large with a suitable amount of meat on a well-fed carcass. The hens often start laying early, have a fair laying period (couple years or more), and lay often, usually an egg a day. They are easy to locate, easy to raise, and very forgiving of the novice raiser. Other breeds such as the Orpington are a good multi-purpose breed, being useful for meat, eggs and also as setters, reproducing the next generation without the need of an incubator.
Then there are breeds that could be construed as being mainly ornamental. Their plumage or appendages are such that they are primarily raised for their beauty alone. Of course they still lay eggs, though perhaps not as well as the egg-only or even the dual-purpose breeds. And their body conformation relegates them as far from the meat breeds as can be. Though they could still be put on the table. Breeds such as Polish (sometimes affectionately called 'Tophats' because of the extra puff of feathers on the top of their heads), Phoenix (known for excessively long tail feathers) and others.
Of course there are also breeds that cross all of these categories or don't fit into any of them. For instance, the standard Cochin tends to lay well, has a large meaty body, and fancy plumage. It has been said the hens often appear to be wearing bloomers because of their excessive feet feathering. The Turken (also known as the Naked Neck) is the precise opposite having no feathers at all on their necks and reduced feathering overall. These are large birds that are moderate layers with an unusual appearance. In the bantams there is the Silkie, which fits into no other category only because they are known not for their meat or as layers, but for their naturally high inclination to set eggs.
Whatever breed(s) you choose, just make sure to have fun doing it!
For instance, if you only have a small area to house your birds, you will be best off looking at bantam breeds rather than the larger ones. Many of the smaller bantam breeds are just as hardy as larger breeds. Several of them make excellent laying birds and the best of the setting birds are bantams (Silkies). Bantam birds make excellent lawn birds as there are several ornamental breeds (Old English Game Birds - OEGB and Japanese to name a couple) that would look charming strutting across the garden. Bantams do an excellent job at keeping unwanted insects at bay. They also often do very well in a caged bird situation, making them ideal for folk that want birds but cannot risk allowing them free range around the home. They can sometimes be a little more on the aggressive side, though not all the bantam breeds are so. Their eggs are a little on the smaller end, coming more in the small to medium range, though just as nutritious as any other home-grown egg. If you are considering a bantam breed, try to start with some of the more common varieties, as some of the more rare ones do tend to be slightly more difficult to raise from chick.
If you are looking for birds strictly to raise for meat, keep in mind that you really should not be considering raising any of them to breeding age. These birds are often crossbreds, the most common of them being the Cornish Rock, though there are several other crossbreds that will grow quickly to a suitable weight/size and convert their feed efficiently to muscle mass. These birds can also have other potential problems because they are bred specifically to grow as fast as possible with as much musculature as possible, sometimes the bone structure cannot keep up. This is another reason to grow them out only for the table. Also remember that crossbreds do not breed true in most cases. So bred together, these birds may not give you the same fast-growing offspring that you can easily purchase. Expect to feed these birds as much as they will possibly eat for between 6-8 weeks for fryer sized carcasses, 10-12 weeks for broiler sized, and 14-16 weeks for roaster sized (this can vary though).
If you are looking for birds strictly to raise for eggs, expect the birds to be smaller in overall size and 'hotter' in temperament. The most famous of these breeds is the Leghorn, which is traditionally the only breed that lays white eggs (crossbreeding has changed this somewhat). Another breed, which is an offshoot of the Leghorn is the Californian, which basically looks like a Leghorn with black spots. These breeds are very lean in appearance, you can expect to see your birds starting to lay early, and usually give an egg every day. They also tend to have prolonged laying periods, some laying an egg a day for a few years or more! However, these breeds also tend to have very lean carcasses and as such excess roosters don't serve that great a purpose. When I say 'hot' I mean don't expect your layer-only birds to come running for attention when you open the door!
Many homesteaders are looking for the ideal combination of meat and eggs in their chicken flock. And why not throw in some fancy plumage or coloration while you're at it to give yourself something pretty to watch every day? A good dual or multi-purpose breed should have a large overall size, good egg-laying skills, good meat accumulation, and ease of raising/care. For a beginner hardiness should also be important. Probably the single most common dual-purpose breed that exists is the Rhode Island Red or RIR. The roosters are large with a suitable amount of meat on a well-fed carcass. The hens often start laying early, have a fair laying period (couple years or more), and lay often, usually an egg a day. They are easy to locate, easy to raise, and very forgiving of the novice raiser. Other breeds such as the Orpington are a good multi-purpose breed, being useful for meat, eggs and also as setters, reproducing the next generation without the need of an incubator.
Then there are breeds that could be construed as being mainly ornamental. Their plumage or appendages are such that they are primarily raised for their beauty alone. Of course they still lay eggs, though perhaps not as well as the egg-only or even the dual-purpose breeds. And their body conformation relegates them as far from the meat breeds as can be. Though they could still be put on the table. Breeds such as Polish (sometimes affectionately called 'Tophats' because of the extra puff of feathers on the top of their heads), Phoenix (known for excessively long tail feathers) and others.
Of course there are also breeds that cross all of these categories or don't fit into any of them. For instance, the standard Cochin tends to lay well, has a large meaty body, and fancy plumage. It has been said the hens often appear to be wearing bloomers because of their excessive feet feathering. The Turken (also known as the Naked Neck) is the precise opposite having no feathers at all on their necks and reduced feathering overall. These are large birds that are moderate layers with an unusual appearance. In the bantams there is the Silkie, which fits into no other category only because they are known not for their meat or as layers, but for their naturally high inclination to set eggs.
Whatever breed(s) you choose, just make sure to have fun doing it!
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