Castration is an intervention performed to stop the sexual function of an animal. This operation is widely used in agriculture from ancient times. It is mentioned, for example, by Xenophon and Aristotle. Today, this procedure is also performed quite often on farms. Many Internet users, for example, are interested in whether bulls are castrated. Of course, cattle are also subjected to such interference. This type of procedure can be carried out both in large livestock complexes and in small businesses or on personal farms.
What is a castrated bull called?
Such operations are performed on farms very often. Even separate names have been invented for castrated animals. A piglet that has undergone such intervention, for example, is a hog. After castration, bulls are called oxen.
Necessity of the procedure
A bull and an ox - what is the difference between them, we thus found out. But why is castration carried out on farms? Exposed in livestock farms similar procedure the majority of the bulls contained in them. Only producers with good breed qualities are not castrated on farms. Such bulls are left for breeding and are used in the future for mating with cows in order to obtain high-quality offspring.
Castration of meat animals allows, first of all, to achieve an increase in productivity in terms of meat yield. After this procedure, the character of the bulls changes significantly. They become calmer, eat better, and therefore gain weight faster.
Since castrated bulls are generally docile, they are much easier to care for than sires. This, of course, can also be attributed to the advantages of such an operation.
Farmers believe that another undoubted advantage of castration is that in this case it is possible to completely control the productivity of the herd in terms of producing offspring. Oxen simply do not have the opportunity to accidentally cover cows, for example, in a pasture.
The advantages of such intervention, of course, include improving the quality of bull meat. In uncastrated animals it has a specific, not very pleasant odor. This is especially true when it is cooked hot. In castrated bulls, the meat is soft, juicy, tender and does not have any unpleasant odor.
Disease intervention
In some cases, the need for such a procedure arises not for economic reasons, but in order to preserve the health of the animal. Castration of bull calves on farms can, for example, be used to prevent:
sexual traumatism;
collagenosis;
D-vitaminosis.
The answer to the question of why bulls are castrated is often the need to treat the animal. For this purpose, this procedure can be carried out, for example, when:
dropsy of the common vaginal membrane;
Contraindications to the procedure
The decision as to whether a bull needs to be castrated on farms is therefore made for reasons of economic expediency. In most cases, this procedure is considered necessary. But, unfortunately, sometimes bulls kept on farms are not allowed to be castrated. Contraindications to this procedure are, for example:
exhaustion of the animal;
illness in a prolonged or acute form;
early age of the bull.
Bulls on farms are not castrated two weeks before the start of preventive vaccination. Also, this procedure is not allowed to be carried out within 14 days after vaccinations.
Methods of castration
Castration of bulls on farms can be carried out using different technologies. Intervention to stop sexual function can be surgical or bloodless. On currently Both types of castration are practiced on livestock farms.
Surgical intervention, in turn, can be:
open;
closed;
percutaneous
Bulls on farms are usually castrated using the first method. During this procedure, the animal can be in either a standing or lying position. When using the surgical castration technique, bulls are first given anesthesia. When using the bloodless method, this procedure is not performed.
When is the best time to carry out
The age of bull calves for castration is determined primarily depending on their breed and degree of development. For example, Simmental animals are usually operated on at 5-7 months with a body weight of at least 150 kg. In this case, it will be possible to slaughter a bull at a later age already at 12 months of age.
Castration of cattle on farms is allowed at any time of the year. However, most often this procedure is performed in the spring or autumn - when it is cool. At this time there are practically no flies on the farm. And consequently, the likelihood of wound infection is significantly reduced.
Preparing bulls
Reviews about castrated bulls from farmers are, of course, in most cases positive. Such animals, with lower feed costs, gain weight much faster, get sick less often and do not cause their owners any inconvenience in terms of care.
Actually, the castration procedure itself is not too complicated. In any case, it is safe for the health of the animal if all required technologies are followed. However, it is, of course, imperative to prepare the bull for such intervention. Before castration:
the animal is carefully examined to identify any diseases;
determine the size of the bull's testes;
keep the bull on a starvation diet.
Animals are not fed for 12-14 hours before castration. During this period, bulls are given only water. Before the operation itself, the animal is driven outside for a while. The bull must empty his intestines and bladder.
Preparing tools
Of course, before the operation, the room itself and equipment are carefully prepared. With the open surgical method, the following is used:
sharp abdominal scalpel;
Such equipment is disinfected in a solution prepared using:
sodium carbonate 1%;
sodium hydroxide 0.1%;
Such ingredients are pre-dissolved in water. Next, the instrument is immersed in the resulting disinfectant liquid and boiled in a sterilizer. The ligatures are soaked for a day in a 4% formaldehyde solution.
Immediately before the operation, the veterinarian should also wash his hands in a solution of 0.5% ammonia, wipe them with a towel and treat them with alcohol. In preparation for castration, the surgeon must, among other things, lubricate the fingertips with iodine.
What materials can be used
In addition to a scalpel and scissors, to carry out the castration procedure you will need to prepare:
- tweezers.
cotton swabs;
ligatures made of silk or cotton;
disposable syringe;
Of course, for the operation you will also need a clean, sterile towel.
Fixation methods
In order to ensure the immobility of the animal during castration, for example, the following method is often used:
take a long rope and tighten it at the base of the horns with a movable loop;
direct the rope back and draw a tightening loop around the body;
again move the rope back in front of the maklaks and make a second loop;
the end of the rope is brought under the bull's leg.
After this, one of the farm workers directs the bull's head in the direction opposite to the fall. The other two are pulling on the end of the rope. As a result, the squeezed animal's knees bend and it lies on its side. Next, the bull is finally strengthened, and his head is pressed to the floor.
How is the operation performed?
Photos of castrated bulls are presented on the page. As you can see, the animals are in most cases large and healthy. However, in order not to harm the bull, similar intervention, of course, needs to be done correctly.
Before castration, hair is removed from adult animals on the surgical site. In young bulls hairline usually rare in this area. Therefore, such a procedure is optional for them. On next stage:
the surgical field is treated with a disinfectant material, for example, an alcohol solution of iodine;
give the bull pain relief with novocaine (3% 10 ml);
grab the animal’s scrotum together with the testis with the left hand and move it back;
the scrotum is dissected along the greater curvature of the testis, 1.5 cm away from its suture;
pull the testis out of the scrotal cavity and dissect the transitional ligament;
the mesentery is ruptured and a ligature is applied to the thinnest section of the cord;
cut the cord with scissors, stepping back from the dressing by 1.5 cm.
At the final stage, during open castration, blood clots are removed from the bull’s scrotum, and the wound is powdered, for example, with streptocide. Sutures are not placed on wounds during this operation.
Caring for the animal in the following days
In most cases, bulls tolerate castration very well. However, they should, of course, be given the most careful care in the postoperative period. After the intervention, a castrated bull must be placed in a clean pen with bedding made of straw rather than sawdust. In the future, the animal is well fed and the wound is periodically examined. When suppuration occurs, it is cleaned and treated with an antiseptic. The condition of a bull's wound after castration should be monitored as carefully as possible.
Use in agriculture
We have thus found out what a castrated bull is called. As already mentioned, in our time, mainly animals raised for fattening are subjected to a similar procedure. That is, they use oxen for meat. Also, such animals are sometimes used even today as draft animals in horse-drawn carts. Oxen, as already mentioned, have a calm character and can be very easy to control.
The manure of such cattle, like that of bulls, is widely used as fertilizer for growing various types of crops. The quality of this fertilizer is superior to most other organic ones. In this regard, ox manure is second only to horse manure. This fertilizer can be used both for fertilizing gardens and vegetable crops, as well as agricultural crops. Simply rotted oxen manure or even industrial fertilizers made on its basis can be used in fields and private suburban areas.
castrated bull
Alternative descriptionsCastrated male large cattle, bull
Farm animal
. "Filled with eyes" (song.)
. "Seven sat down, one..., and that one was a goal"
. "YARMOLNIK"
. "full of eyes"
. "full of eyes" (song)
. “seven sat down, one..., and that one was a goal” (last)
Bull ahead of the plow
Bull eunuch
Castrati bull
Bull on the farm
Bull with a plow
Bull with a yoke around his neck
A bull good only for meat
Bull being used for plowing
A bull unfit to be a father
Bull trained to plow
Bull, indifferent to heifers
Bull pulling a plow
Bull "convict"
Bull - "workaholic"
Castrato bull
Bull Plowman
Working Bull
There is a proverb in Dahl's dictionary, according to which a horse pulls in separate jerks, and which animal in this proverb pulls, constantly leaning on the collar
Yes you can plow on it
Pet
Eunuch from the Bugai harem
Beasts of draft
Animal of the bovid family
Castrated cuckold
Castrated male cattle
The horse is a gelding and the bull
Large-horned eunuch
Large-horned cousin of the gelding
M. tamed (laid, lightened) male domestic cattle, beef; in its fertile state bull, south. a bull, and the female is a cow. In the south, a bull and an ox are one and the same, which is why we have a dialect. riding oxen and bulls, although only the former are harnessed, usually in pairs, in a yoke; impose
They plow on it
Unproductive bull
Arable bull
Working bull
A bull indifferent to cows
Horned Ploughman
Cuckold in the field
With a yoke around my neck
Farm animal
Hardworking animal
Hardworking bull
Worker among the bulls
Castration is an intervention performed to stop the sexual function of an animal. This operation has been widely used in agriculture since ancient times. It is mentioned, for example, by Xenophon and Aristotle. Today, this procedure is also performed quite often on farms. Many Internet users, for example, are interested in whether bulls are castrated. Of course, cattle are also subjected to such interference. This type of procedure can be carried out both in large livestock complexes and in small businesses or on personal farms.
What is a castrated bull called?
Such operations are performed on farms very often. Even separate names have been invented for castrated animals. A piglet that has undergone such intervention, for example, is a hog. After castration, bulls are called oxen.
Necessity of the procedure
A bull and an ox - what is the difference between them, we thus found out. But why is castration carried out on farms? Most of the bulls kept on livestock farms are subjected to a similar procedure. Only producers with good breed qualities are not castrated on farms. Such bulls are left for breeding and are used in the future for mating with cows in order to obtain high-quality offspring.
Castration of meat animals allows, first of all, to achieve an increase in productivity in terms of meat yield. After this procedure, the character of the bulls changes significantly. They become calmer, eat better, and therefore gain weight faster.
Since castrated bulls are generally docile, they are much easier to care for than sires. This, of course, can also be attributed to the advantages of such an operation.
Farmers believe that another undoubted advantage of castration is that in this case it is possible to completely control the productivity of the herd in terms of producing offspring. Oxen simply do not have the opportunity to accidentally cover cows, for example, in a pasture.
The advantages of such intervention, of course, include improving the quality of bull meat. In uncastrated animals it has a specific, not very pleasant odor. This is especially true when it is cooked hot. In castrated bulls, the meat is soft, juicy, tender and does not have any unpleasant odor.
Disease intervention
In some cases, the need for such a procedure arises not for economic reasons, but in order to preserve the health of the animal. Castration of bull calves on farms can, for example, be used to prevent:
sexual traumatism;
collagenosis;
D-vitaminosis.
The answer to the question of why bulls are castrated is often the need to treat the animal. For this purpose, this procedure can be carried out, for example, when:
dropsy of the common vaginal membrane;
Contraindications to the procedure
The decision as to whether a bull needs to be castrated on farms is therefore made for reasons of economic expediency. In most cases, this procedure is considered necessary. But, unfortunately, sometimes bulls kept on farms are not allowed to be castrated. Contraindications to this procedure are, for example:
exhaustion of the animal;
illness in a prolonged or acute form;
early age of the bull.
Bulls on farms are not castrated two weeks before the start of preventive vaccination. Also, this procedure is not allowed to be carried out within 14 days after vaccinations.
Methods of castration
Castration of bulls on farms can be carried out using different technologies. Intervention to stop sexual function can be surgical or bloodless. Currently, both types of castration are practiced on livestock farms.
Surgical intervention, in turn, can be:
open;
closed;
percutaneous
Bulls on farms are usually castrated using the first method. During this procedure, the animal can be in either a standing or lying position. When using the surgical castration technique, bulls are first given anesthesia. When using the bloodless method, this procedure is not performed.
When is the best time to carry out
The age of bull calves for castration is determined primarily depending on their breed and degree of development. For example, Simmental animals are usually operated on at 5-7 months with a body weight of at least 150 kg. In this case, it will be possible to slaughter a bull at a later age already at 12 months of age.
Castration of cattle on farms is allowed at any time of the year. However, most often this procedure is performed in the spring or autumn - when it is cool. At this time there are practically no flies on the farm. And consequently, the likelihood of wound infection is significantly reduced.
Preparing bulls
Reviews about castrated bulls from farmers are, of course, in most cases positive. Such animals, with lower feed costs, gain weight much faster, get sick less often and do not cause their owners any inconvenience in terms of care.
Actually, the castration procedure itself is not too complicated. In any case, it is safe for the health of the animal if all required technologies are followed. However, it is, of course, imperative to prepare the bull for such intervention. Before castration:
the animal is carefully examined to identify any diseases;
determine the size of the bull's testes;
keep the bull on a starvation diet.
Animals are not fed for 12-14 hours before castration. During this period, bulls are given only water. Before the operation itself, the animal is driven outside for a while. The bull must empty his intestines and bladder.
Preparing tools
Of course, before the operation, the room itself and equipment are carefully prepared. When castrating bulls using the open surgical method, the following is used:
sharp abdominal scalpel;
Such equipment is disinfected in a solution prepared using:
sodium carbonate 1%;
sodium hydroxide 0.1%;
Such ingredients are pre-dissolved in water. Next, the instrument is immersed in the resulting disinfectant liquid and boiled in a sterilizer. The ligatures are soaked for a day in a 4% formaldehyde solution.
Immediately before the operation, the veterinarian should also wash his hands in a solution of 0.5% ammonia, wipe them with a towel and treat them with alcohol. In preparation for castration, the surgeon must, among other things, lubricate the fingertips with iodine.
What materials can be used
In addition to a scalpel and scissors, to carry out the castration procedure you will need to prepare:
- tweezers.
cotton swabs;
ligatures made of silk or cotton;
disposable syringe;
Of course, for the operation you will also need a clean, sterile towel.
Fixation methods
In order to ensure the immobility of the animal during castration, for example, the following method is often used:
take a long rope and tighten it at the base of the horns with a movable loop;
direct the rope back and draw a tightening loop around the body;
again move the rope back in front of the maklaks and make a second loop;
the end of the rope is brought under the bull's leg.
After this, one of the farm workers directs the bull's head in the direction opposite to the fall. The other two are pulling on the end of the rope. As a result, the squeezed animal's knees bend and it lies on its side. Next, the bull is finally strengthened, and his head is pressed to the floor.
How is the operation performed?
Photos of castrated bulls are presented on the page. As you can see, the animals are in most cases large and healthy. However, in order not to harm the bull, such intervention, of course, must be carried out correctly.
Before castration, hair is removed from adult animals on the surgical site. In young bulls, the hair in this area is usually sparse. Therefore, such a procedure is optional for them. At the next stage:
the surgical field is treated with a disinfectant material, for example, an alcohol solution of iodine;
give the bull pain relief with novocaine (3% 10 ml);
grab the animal’s scrotum together with the testis with the left hand and move it back;
the scrotum is dissected along the greater curvature of the testis, 1.5 cm away from its suture;
pull the testis out of the scrotal cavity and dissect the transitional ligament;
the mesentery is ruptured and a ligature is applied to the thinnest section of the cord;
cut the cord with scissors, stepping back from the dressing by 1.5 cm.
At the final stage, during open castration, blood clots are removed from the bull’s scrotum, and the wound is powdered, for example, with streptocide. Sutures are not placed on wounds during this operation.
Caring for the animal in the following days
In most cases, bulls tolerate castration very well. However, they should, of course, be given the most careful care in the postoperative period. After the intervention, a castrated bull must be placed in a clean pen with bedding made of straw rather than sawdust. In the future, the animal is well fed and the wound is periodically examined. When suppuration occurs, it is cleaned and treated with an antiseptic. The condition of a bull's wound after castration should be monitored as carefully as possible.
Use in agriculture
We have thus found out what a castrated bull is called. As already mentioned, in our time, mainly animals raised for fattening are subjected to a similar procedure. That is, they use oxen for meat. Also, such animals are sometimes used even today as draft animals in horse-drawn carts. Oxen, as already mentioned, have a calm character and can be very easy to control.
The manure of such cattle, like that of bulls, is widely used as fertilizer for growing various types of crops. The quality of this fertilizer is superior to most other organic ones. In this regard, ox manure is second only to horse manure. This fertilizer can be used both for fertilizing gardens and vegetable crops, as well as agricultural crops. Simply rotted oxen manure or even industrial fertilizers made on its basis can be used in fields and private suburban areas.
Castration of bulls is often considered as an element of animal husbandry technology to improve qualitative and quantitative productivity indicators. When resorting to the removal of reproductive organs, it is very important to choose the right method of manipulation, which will depend on many factors. To decide which method will be most suitable in a particular case, it is necessary to consider each separately, so today we will talk about the open, closed and chemical method using various techniques and auxiliary tools.
Why are bulls castrated?
Removal of reproductive organs from bulls is necessary for economic purposes, which can be varied and presented in the form of:
- increasing bone growth, allowing the animal to gain more mass;
- changes in the behavioral qualities of bulls - they become calmer;
- easier keeping of animals in groups, prevention of related matings;
- direct indications for removal of reproductive organs, in the form of prevention of common diseases - sexual traumatism, collagenase, hypovitaminosis.
- for medicinal purposes, for removal of scrotal hernia, trauma to the testes, purulent-necrotic processes, neoplasms in the scrotum and testes;
- improving the taste of meat and the absence of a specific odor.
At what age is it better to do this?
Removal of the gonads in bulls that will be fattened is carried out at 3 months of age. If an animal is raised for use as work force, then the suitable age for castration is one and a half to two years.
The recommended period for the procedure is spring or autumn, since rapid healing of wounds is impossible in the heat of summer and cold in winter. Operations are carried out exclusively in the morning in order to monitor the animal’s condition throughout the day.
Did you know? Castrated bulls are called oxen. After the bulls' reproductive organs are removed, their horns begin to actively grow, reaching unexpectedly large sizes.
Preoperative preparation of the animal
It is necessary to prepare the animal for manipulation in several stages. First, general preparation is carried out, which consists of studying the epizootological state of the farm. Animals that will be neutered must be tested for any diseases. If mass castration is planned, then the pulse and respiration of individuals are selectively measured, and thermometry is carried out. Animals are not allowed to eat for 12 hours, or preferably one day, they drink only water, and immediately before the procedure they exclude water consumption. 
Before removing the reproductive organs, the bulls are allowed to walk so that the intestines and bladder are emptied. Preparation for the procedure also consists of cleaning and general or partial washing of the animal in the perineum and inner thighs, and distal limbs. The second stage is called private training to castration.
To do this, it is necessary to treat the surgical field - remove hair, clean it mechanically, degrease, and disinfect the surface. It is better to remove hair by shaving the hairs, since this method is more effective - all hair is removed completely. To do this, use a regular safety razor with a broken plate. The animal is processed when the bull is fixed and motionless.
Important! Before removing the reproductive organs of young bulls, there is no need to shave off the hair, as it is quite sparse.
Mechanical cleaning and degreasing are carried out using a cloth moistened with 5% ammonia. Aseptic and tanning of the area for the operation can be carried out with a 5% iodine solution, with an interval between treatments of 3 minutes, the treatment is carried out twice. 
How bulls are castrated
There are several methods of manipulation, which can be bloody or bloodless, as well as using a new method - chemical castration.
Open (bloody) method
After the bull has been secured and the surgical field has been prepared, all layers of the scrotum are cut. For young bulls, a transverse incision is made; for adults, the scrotum is opened from the side or in front, along the testis. The testis is cut along its entire length, opening the common vaginal membrane. The testis is removed, after which it is necessary to proceed to cutting the thickened part of the transitional ligament and separating the common tunica vaginalis from the spermatic cord.
Important! To use open castration for bulls that are over 2 years old, it is necessary to use local anesthesia.
A strong silk ligature is applied to the thinnest part of the spermatic cord, at a distance of about 10 cm from the testis, and then tied with a surgical knot. Below the ligature, 2 cm, the spermatic cord is cut using scissors. The stump is lubricated with 5% iodine, the wound is treated with antiseptic powder. 
You can perform castration with forceps using an emasculator; for this, using a side incision in the scrotum, the spermatic cord is removed out, followed by applying forceps to it and holding them in this position for 5 minutes to prevent bleeding. After the manipulation, the testicles are removed from the scrotum.
Closed (bloodless) method
The closed method of castration is the most common for young bulls and calves. This method involves destroying the vas deferens without removing the testicle. The most simple option is the use of an elastic band (elasticator) to compress the neck of the scrotum. The main advantage of castration with a rubber ring is that the procedure is painless and there is no open wound.
Closed castration can also be carried out by bloodless sterility of bulls due to subcutaneous crushing of the spermatic cords, for which Burdizzo forceps are used. This device is applied above the testes, compressed to a characteristic sound and held for half a minute. Thanks to this method of castration, blood flow to the testes is stopped and their gradual atrophy occurs.
Video: bloodless castration
Chemical castration
This method of castration consists of using a solution of formalin 5–10% and novocaine 0.5%–2%. The solution is administered in an amount of 5 to 10 ml in each testis, using an injection. At the moment, the method is called ineffective and manipulations must be repeated every 6 months throughout life to block the work of the testes. There are also studies that show that about 20% of animals subjected to chemical castration continued to produce male hormones.
Postoperative period
The need for additional care for castrated bulls depends on the method of operation. When using bloodless methods, in particular rubber bands, the bull is examined half an hour after the manipulation. At this time, it is considered normal if the temperature of the scrotum has decreased. The testes of bulls completely die off within a month after the procedure. 
If the spermatic cords are crushed using a closed castration method, a hematoma is formed, which can be felt through the skin. Castration can be called successful if the testicles have significantly decreased in size and their density has changed. These indicators should be established one month after the procedure. If no changes occur, repeat castration is performed using the open method.
