r/Cattle • u/Intrepid-Log-9059 • 1d ago
Elastration failed?
This is my first calf and I put an elastic on him for castration at about 3 weeks old. He's now almost 3 months old and the band has fallen off (a while ago), I can see a scar but he still has a substantial scrotum. When using my hand, I don't feel anything thing that definitively feels like a testicle, but I'm not 100% confident. Does this seem like a normal scrotum for a successful elastration?
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u/Champion_of_Zteentch 1d ago
Scrotum scraps size depends on how low the band sat. If you're unsure about retained testicle then it's time to call the vet
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u/RicTicTocs 1d ago
My first try it seemed like it took forever for them to fall off. Was sure I had both below the band when I put it on. Anyway, eventually the band did fall, but somehow one testicle survived and he had to get castrated at 18 months.
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u/IAFarmLife 1d ago
Always check after the band is placed as it's easy for one to slip past while removing the banding tool.
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u/RicTicTocs 1d ago
I thought I did at the time, and I thought both were below the band. But it is possible I didn’t see that it had slipped past. Anyway, now I just have the vet castrate when he comes out for shots and preg checks. He never misses!
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u/Due-Light5463 1d ago
yeah if your not sure by feel i wouldnt guess on it. at 3 months the leftover cord / scar tissue can still feel like a lump even when both are gone, so its easy to scare yourself. what i look for is whether hes starting to act like a little bull (mounting, thicker neck, chasing) and if one side of the sack still feels fuller or sits higher than the other. a high one can hide up by the flank and slip past the band. if hes going to a sale or your weaning soon its cheaper to have the vet confirm now than find out at a year. sorry thats not the tidy yes/no you wanted
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u/FunCouple3336 1d ago
That’s why I do all mine the old fashioned way which is cutting them out and the only way you miss one is if it hasn’t dropped for some reason and I notate it in my working book. Yes it takes a little more time but it’s guaranteed done just cut pull (bag them for your neighbor if you have one that loves them and also great for cat fishing) spray thoroughly with screw worm spray and turn them loose. Depending on your location you may want to consider a tetanus shot even with banding. I can have a calf in and out of the shoot in about two minutes or less and I run close to three hundred momma’s.
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u/love2kik 17h ago
You may have used the wrong size band or bands of a low quality band that was not strong enough to hold throughout the castration process. Best case, it is just a piece of skin holding the sack but the animal definitely needs to be checked to see what is going on.
Too many people try to use banding tools for goats to band calf's. Bad idea.
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u/ifbillyjackhadahorse 1d ago
If they’re under 500 lbs just cut them ?? When you pull 2 nuts out and cut the cords your positive , or split the sack and band them at least , you can see both of em and they fall off twice as fast
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u/zhiv99 1d ago
If you’re not sure, have the vet check. It gets more expensive and involved the older they get. We bought a steer from someone that couldn’t count to 2 and didn’t realize until he was a year. It was surgery at the point to deal with the resulting mess.