Patty I was reading some of the old Threads and on July 25th you posted about casterating a 600# boar. Did you do it? What method did you use? I know there was a lot of different opinions about the way to approch it. Have you slaughter him yet? How was the qulity of the meat?

It was an interesting thread ad re-reading it has got me wondering about the outcome! THANKS!!!

-- Mark (deadcoatman@webtv.net), September 10, 2000

Answers

Mark , I'm still waiting for someone to be man enough to do it ! A friend is coming over this weekend 'we'll see if he chickens out to '.We are going to give him a shot and put a bucket on his head or him in a barrel upside down .While he's here going to see if he'll do some cats too !I'll update you when it's done .

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), September 10, 2000.

Patty, it sounds like you are going to give your friend the shot and put a bucket on HIS head!! Now we don't drink, but how about a 24 pack for that big pig?? A guy in Countryside said he used to catch his chickens like that, with Rum, and they just fell over! Give him beer till he falls over! At least you know he will eventually wake up, and people do marinate their meat in it! Please let us know how it turns out!

-- Cindy in Ky (solidrockranch@msn.com), September 10, 2000.

this may sound alittle in human but bare w/ me... our 3 hogs got out and for the life of me i could not get them back so like an artical had said we used vodka{sp} it has no smell like rum, mixed it some oatmeal and w/ in a few minutes we had some very calm hogs.the best part i had to go into a dive bar at 11 am with 4 kids to buy it talk about looks!

-- renee oneill (oneillsr@home.com), September 11, 2000.

Renee , I've had mornings by 10:00 I needed a drink with 4 children .Good thing I don't drink . I'm glad to know vodka works , as for a 6 pack I'd probally have to fight Hubby ! I might try it out during the week if it evr stops raining .

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), September 11, 2000.

Oh Renee, that is soooo funny!! I can just see you, mad and frustrated, storming into a dive bar at 11:00 in the morning, grabbing a bottle of Vodka, and then telling them it is for the hogs!!

-- Cindy in Ky (solidrockranch@msn.com), September 11, 2000.

Cindy , i would gladley give a guy a shot and put a bucket on his head if he would only castrate my PIG ! I've even tried to goat " sorry for the pun" farmers English and Amish into cutting him .I've come up with men are CHICKENS , whats a little old 600lb boar going to do to you Hehe haha .Sorry guys just couldn't resist.

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), September 11, 2000.

You can actually neuter your cat on your own????? I would love to hear how that works. Have you ever done this (or had a non-vet do it) before? What was the outcome?

-- Julie (julieamc@excite.com), September 11, 2000.

Get a big boot and put the cat in face first .Make a small incission in the sack , find the "jewels " one at a time and give a pull off it comes .I would not try this unless you have some one with you that has done it .If done very fast , not to much pain and not alot of bleeding .It heals fast .

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), September 11, 2000.

Patty:

This is a long shot but talk to your local county ag agent. They might know an older active or retired hog farmer with experience and who might be willing to 'show you how it is done.' If they do help, and won't take any money, reward them with homemade pies, bread or something. I'd be willing to give it a try, but I am GI (geographically inconvenient). I've castrated well over 100 steers and it can't be that different.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), September 11, 2000.

Thanks Ken to be honest I'm afraid to do it alone .If it was a piglet I'd be o.k. or if hubby would help .He'll be standing in the corner with his legs crossed !

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), September 11, 2000.

Julie, a friend of ours uses an elastrator on her cats...Just make sure you have both testicles in the right spot. She had one that she "caught" just one--and the cat developed into a breeding tom, just the same!

-- Leann Banta (thelionandlamb@hotmail.com), September 11, 2000.

Patty why dont you just take him to the sale barn? if hes that big he wont be fit to eat.will still taste like old boar hog best regards BOb in s.e. ks.

-- Bob Condry (bobco@hit.net), September 11, 2000.

Bob, dig out that old thread - all the detail is there. Apparently a few months after castration and the boar taste goes.

For tomcats, the rubber rings work perfectly. Tom might be a bit sore and sorry, and hole up somewhere for a few days, but it works.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), September 12, 2000.

You know, I watched a horse-trader friend castrate horses last week, and I was amazed. Logistically, it can't be done that way on a hog. He tied feet (well padded), and with the help of two men, threw the horse (gently), and stretched him out tight. No anesthetic. Snip the skin, find testicles, cut with emasculator. This guy uses diesel fuel as an all-purpose antiseptic, anti-fly solution. As far as the horse, other that a little grunting, he didn't seem to be in great pain, and went back to eating his hay as soon as he was up. My friend has sedatives, but he said they recover much more slowly and are more likely to injure themselves if he uses it. Wish I could send this guy your way. I'm sure he'd find a way to help you out.

-- Teresa (otgonz@bellsouth.net), September 12, 2000.

This has all been very interesting, we use the rubber bands for our goats, can you use them on cats and dogs too?

-- Carol (cwaldrop@peoplescom.net), September 14, 2000.

I had to laugh at this thread especially when I got to the bottom and Carol said this had been interesting because I was just as enthralled as she was when I was reading it. Only on this forum could we get so many people to find castrating a pig an interesting topic!!

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), September 15, 2000.

Hi, I'd love to know how it is done. I have a 2 year old breeding pair of Yorkshires. Big babies, both of them, and raise their litters together. (Proudest daddy you have ever seen! Loves his kids!) They are also pets. Oliver is around 900# or so, and when they are no longer young enough for breeding, I am hoping to be able to have him castrated, as he and Suzie have never been separated. I fiqured I will have to call the vet, have him knocked out, and then done, as he will need stitches. If you get it done, I'd like to know how it went. Also, this might sound strange, but is there a contraceptive for pigs. I have been told that there is one that can be safely put in food *or I can even hand feed), but when I try to find out further info, everyone draws a blank. As I said, the two have never been separated: tried once, but had 2 very depressed animals. I really want to give my sow a break. She deserves it. Can anyone help?

-- Kim Marie Pezza (homesteadtraders@hotmail.com), September 16, 2000.

I understand that most folks castrate farm animals without anesthetic or antiseptic conditions, BUT NEUTERING A CAT THAT WAY OR APPLYING A BAND IS BARBARIC! Now I firmly beleive in neutering, but you leave your animal open to tetnus. Livestock are routinely vaccinated for tetnus, companion animals are not. There has to be a low cost neuter program in your area. In Lancaster WI a clinic does it for free one Saturday in October. At the very least vaccinate your animal for tetnus. The DVM at my clinic (I am a certified Technician) does not beleive that diesel fuel is doing anything other that burning tissue (cauterizing) it is not an antiseptic. We kid ourselves that these procedures are not painful, these animals are just more stoic they we give them credit for. PS at least the alcohol with provide some immediate pain releif for the boar, also expect a lot of bleeding from an animal that size

-- Dianne (yankeeterrier@hotmail.com), September 16, 2000.

Many states do not hav low cost spay and neuter programs.It's $65.00 to spay a female and $40.00 for a male .Then they charge you for vacc.Many a barn cat has been cut on the farm , yes there is some pain but so does child birth ! I do not beleive the have the same feelings we do , ever what a dog or cat after giving birth or surgery ?I had to give my dog sedetives to keep her from running and busting every stitch at 8 years old .Whated a cat give birth then jump up to the top bunk bed too .I have 4 children and could not have done anything near that" or did I want to ".I think it's a better option than not having it done and producing more babies no one wants .Or having a bunch a fighting toms .The next comment will be don't get them if you can't afford it , I don't, do good idiots say ' look at the nice farm fluffy will be happy there and out the window they go !

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), September 16, 2000.

In regards to castrating cats or dogs with rubber bands...don't attempt to do this. Why? Because a cat or dog will try to chew the band off and in the process can hemmorage or at least have a serious infection. Haven't you ever heard of a dog chewing his paws off to get out of a spring trap? At least cutting them is a bit more humane, but without some sort of sedative and clean instruments, at the very least a risk of infection. We are fortunate in our area to have periodic spay / neuter clinics. But I have on occasion bartered with my vet for some of the dogs and cats neutering. We have traded off honey, lamb meat, garden veggies and a wool blanket. Kate

-- Kate Henderson (sheeplady@catskill.net), September 17, 2000.

Patty Since you want to compare animals to people, I suggest you ask the closest male how he would feel about having a boot stuck over his head and his testicles removed with out anesthetic. Just see how fast he crosses his legs. $40 is not a lot of money for a surgery that involves a licensed DVM but check with your local HS they tend to sponsor programs. The vets in this area run variuous specials certain times of year ie rabies for $5 in January...or ask the DVM to neuter when he is out to do other farm animal work, they usually charge about $15 unless a testicle is retained. I still think banding is an awful idea.

-- Dianne (yankeeterrier@hotmail.com), September 17, 2000.

Dianne the point was animals are NOT people .I don't want to cause them pain , but you have to way the 2 sides .Maybe $40.00 isn't alot to you but to some people it is .For how many years have we circumcised{sp} baby boys without any pain killers ? Haven't heard you complain about that though , but I guess the cats are more important than our sons .Animals do not feel the same things we do , and not to the same extent .

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), September 17, 2000.

Will vodka work on sheep too?

-- R. (thor610@yahoo.com), September 17, 2000.