How to castrate pigs at home. Castration of piglets. Benefits of castration at an early age

Beginning pig farmers in the course of their activities are faced with the issue of castration. Today we will get acquainted with the intricacies of the procedure, the reasons and possible consequences for animals.

Why are pigs castrated?

Castration is the removal of an animal's reproductive organs and seminal glands. The male retains all the instincts inherent to the species, but is deprived of the ability to reproduce offspring. Let's figure out why the procedure is needed and what its benefits are:

• a castrated male is calm and not prone to aggression;
• the risk of sexual diseases (orchitis, epididymitis) is reduced;
• eliminates the risk of accidental coverage by a bad manufacturer;
• adaptation to living conditions improves;
• despite the decrease in the amount of feed, the animal’s weight gain increases;
• The taste of meat improves, it loses its unpleasant odor and becomes soft.

Important! Castration of an adult animal is possible, but after it the male instinct remains, which makes group keeping difficult. Therefore, it is recommended to perform the operation before 6 months of age.

At what age can the procedure be done?

They try to carry out castration while the piglets are still small, since at this age the process of tissue regeneration proceeds faster. The second reason is that children are more susceptible to anesthesia, therefore, the operation is faster and with less pain. negative consequences. In addition, suckling piglets next to the sow, along with her milk, receive the antibodies necessary to maintain immunity. Acceptable age for surgery:

• from 3 to 5 days;
• 2 weeks (considered optimal);
• 55 days (weaning time from the sow).

Methods of castration

The operating technique depends on the age of the pigs. Used in small households two surgical methods: open and closed.

Closed

With this method, the skin on the scrotum, which directly covers the testis, is shifted, forming a fold across the organ. Then an incision is made along the length of the testis on the fold, additionally cutting the muscular layer. The testis is squeezed out through the incision, rotated along with the vaginal membrane completely around the axis and tied with medical thread. Then, keeping a distance of at least 1 cm from the thread, cut the cord. The wound is treated with healing ointments.

Video: closed castration of a piglet

Open

This method involves a complete incision of the scrotum, vaginal membranes and ligament. The testis and cord are retracted away from the incision. The thinnest section of the cord is tied with medical thread and cut 1.5 cm below it. The wound is treated with an antiseptic. On large livestock farms in recent years, emasculation has been carried out bloodless chemical method, for which special medications are used.

Video: open castration of a piglet

Preparing for surgery

It is best to choose the morning for the operation, so that there is more time to observe the animal after it. Preparation process:

1. Half a day before the procedure, the animals’ diet is reduced, excluding roughage, and they drink plenty of water.
2. Walking for bowel movements is recommended.
3. A few hours before the procedure, visual inspection of the operated area, palpation to determine the mobility and size of the operated organs (it will also identify possible deviations from the norm - fluid accumulation, tumors, etc.).
4. Then the instruments are prepared and sterilized.
5. The surgeon tidies up his hands (trimming nails, washing hands and using antiseptic, gloves).

Important! There should be a time interval of 2 weeks between castration and other veterinary manipulations with the boar in order to avoid stress and other undesirable consequences.

How to castrate a pig with your own hands at home?

Before performing the operation yourself, you should understand the schemes, for which situations, which method is suitable. Find out what is needed for castration and prepare a full set of tools and medications. It is important to know how to euthanize an animal, especially if it is an adult and large individual.

Required Tools

In addition to tools, you need to prepare dressings and medical thread. Among the necessary tools:

• surgical knives (scalpels);
• curved or regular scissors;
• clamps to stop bleeding;
• needles and needle holder;
• emasculator;
• machine.

Did you know? Unlike other ungulates, pigs are omnivores: they eat both plant and meat foods with equal success.

Drugs and anesthesia

In practice, piglets are not given anesthesia during manipulation, although lidocaine can be used if desired. Adults are operated on only under anesthesia; sometimes a combination of local anesthetic and sleeping pills is used. Among the drugs used:

• iodine solution, aluminum spray (antiseptic);
• azaperone 4% solution (injection anesthesia);
• lidocaine, novocaine (local anesthetic);
• tricillin, chemi-spray (bactericidal, healing agents);
• stressed (sleeping pills).

Step by step operation

Before carrying out the quenching procedure yourself, it is advisable to observe how a specialist does it. For a restless or aggressive individual, a little trick is used to immobilize and euthanize. The animal is driven with its muzzle into an ordinary barrel, turned upside down with its hind limbs and euthanized. Then the holstering procedure is carried out.

Closed method

The method is suitable for large and adult individuals, as well as in the presence of a groin hernia. Instructions for carrying out:

1. The immobilized boar's scrotal area is washed and disinfected with an antiseptic.
2. Local anesthesia is administered by injection.
3. The skin collected on the scrotum is dissected, being careful not to touch the vaginal membrane (it is bluish in color).
4. The testis, captured together with the membrane, is retracted away from the scrotal skin. Then it is rotated 360° in a circle and tied with thread. The distance from the groin is minimal.
5. The ligated spermatic cord is cut at a distance of 1 cm from the ligation site.
6. The wound is treated with antiseptic healing agents.

Open way

This method is relevant for small piglets. If there is a machine, the animal is immobilized with its help, otherwise you will need someone holding the animal. The next sequence of actions is as follows:

1. The scrotum is cleared of hair and treated with an antiseptic.
2. The skin is stretched on the testis and two identical double-sided incisions are made.
3. The testis is squeezed out through the incision and the cord is tied with a thread.
4. It is cut off slightly below the dressing site.
5. Powder is poured into the wound, usually tricillin is used.

Another method for kids is “breakaway”. It is identical to the one described above, the only difference is that the cord is not cut. They twist it until it falls off on its own or abruptly break it off, first securing it with a clamp. The wound is treated in the same way as in the first case.

How to care for piglets after castration?

In the pen where the emasculated individual will be placed, it is necessary to lay a fresh covering. You need to use hay or straw; sawdust can get into the wound and cause infection. It is advisable to place it separately from other animals if several castrates are kept together.

Immediately after the manipulation, neither water nor feed the piglets. The first meal should be 3-4 hours after the procedure, the same goes for drinking. Individuals are fed root crops, vegetables and high quality grains. Walking is allowed on the 6th day, provided there are no complications and the wound is healing.

Observation of the piglet's condition lasts about 5 days, during which time possible complications will appear. If this happens, you need to contact your veterinarian to clarify the diagnosis and method of eliminating the problem.

Did you know?Thanks to their keen sense of smell, pigs can help not only in searching for delicious truffles, but also in searching for drugs. customs services or the police.

Possible complications

Possible postoperative consequences include:

• bleeding- depending on the abundance of discharge, tamponing or ligation (of the spermatic cord) is carried out using medical thread;
• intestinal prolapse- the veterinarian sets the organs in place, having previously treated them with antiseptic solutions. After which antibiotics and novocaine blockade are prescribed. This complication occurs more often in older animals;
• inflammation of the vaginal membrane- treatment is carried out with a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide, dead tissue and pus are removed;
• inflammation of the spermatic cord stump- the festering part of the organ is cut off, the wound is treated with hydrogen peroxide, antiseptic and bactericidal ointments (Vishnevsky).

When can a boar be slaughtered after castration?

It all depends on the age of the individual that was operated on. In case of starvation after the age of 3 years, no matter how much time has passed after the operation, the meat may remain with an unpleasant odor. Other options:

• the procedure was carried out on time - you can cut when you have gained the appropriate weight;
• The manipulation was carried out on a large individual older than six months - it is advisable to wait 6 months after it.

Pig farming for the purpose of selling meat will force the animal owner to become familiar with such a procedure as castration. The operation is not complicated, but will bring a lot of benefits to the farmer. It will especially affect the commercial quality of products.

Many pig farmers have to deal with such an operation as castration of piglets. Most often, this process is entrusted to veterinarians. But sometimes the livestock breeder tries to do without such specialist services and castrates the pigs himself.

There are several methods of castration, which are constantly discussed, as well as the timing of their implementation. This article will help you figure out how to castrate piglets yourself.

Why is castration needed?

Castration is also called emasculation. Most often, for this purpose, surgical intervention is performed, the purpose of which is to rid the animal of the gonads. In addition to this type of operation, there are also such castrations:

• hormonal,
• chemical,
• radioactive.

Piglets

At home, only the method of surgical intervention is practiced. It should be taken into account that after the intervention certain reactions occur in the animal’s body, which consist of hormonal imbalance, metabolic changes and other developmental abnormalities, which are very different from an uncastrated individual.

Important! Before castrating pigs, you need to decide why this operation is needed. With age, piglets actively produce sex hormones; when fattening pigs, these processes are completely undesirable.

Necessity:

1. Uncastrated pigs go into heat after a certain time, which is why they stop eating normally, lose weight, and become restless.
2. Undesirable mating of gilts with uncastrated boars occurs.
3. Uncastrated wild boars become aggressive as adults and can attack both other animals and people.
4. The meat of uncastrated animals produces an unpleasant odor, so it cannot be eaten.

Based on the above reasons, it should be concluded that castration will solve several problems at once. Such boars are called “castrato”.

Important! Uncastrated boars may develop pathologies that can only be resolved through castration, and the operation should only be performed by a professional veterinarian.

Indications for surgical intervention may be as follows:

• Inflammation of the testes;
• Hernia;
• Neoplasms in the testicular area.

Thus, having castrated a piglet, the farmer receives:

• High quality meat and meat products;
• Animals do not lose their appetite, due to which their weight increases;
• Neutered animals are much easier to keep in groups; they do not show aggression towards each other;
• Pigs grow and develop better.

If you look at the timing indicated for surgical intervention, then the best age is the suckling period - from ten to forty-five days. Piglets at this age lose less blood during surgery, and they have virtually no complications, unlike adult boars.

The process of castration of piglets

The main advantages of castration of small piglets are:

• Small piglets do not require special fixation during surgery;
• Small boars adapt faster and calm down when they are near the sow;
• Thanks to the “mother’s” milk, wounds heal very quickly;
• During the surgical process, the piglet loses very little blood;
• Small boars will not need many medications;
• The piglets grow and develop quickly, recovering quickly from surgery.

Important! During castration, children should never undergo procedures such as vaccinations and deworming. A minimum of fourteen days must pass between these processes.

Methods of castration

Castration is divided into bloodless and surgical methods. In this case, the bloodless method is used in the following cases:

• Chemical castration;
• Mechanical castration;
• Radiological castration.

Since these methods are very difficult to implement and require large budgetary expenses, they are not practiced by private livestock breeders. The most commonly used surgical intervention includes methods such as:

• Ligature surgery or open castration of pigs.
• Breakage of the spermatic cord.
• Closed cooling method.

Many people are interested in what age piglets are castrated. The operation for ligature and breakage of the spermatic cord is only suitable for small piglets. In these cases, during castration, the scrotum and tunica vaginalis are cut, the testis is removed, a ligature is applied, and the spermatic cord is cut.

If the spermatic cord is torn off, there is no need to apply a ligature. Because this operation is done when the piglets reach three weeks of age. At this time, the spermatic cords are still weak and easily come off.

With the closed method of castration, which is done at an older age, the vaginal membrane is not cut, but is cut off completely along with the testis. In this case, the cord with the testis must be turned several times around the axis and held for a few seconds to neutralize the nerve endings, only after that it is tied with a thread and the testis is cut off. The wound is treated with iodine, stitched and disinfected again.

Important! Animals can only be killed for meat after at least two months have passed after castration.

Castration machine

Piglet castration machine

Do-it-yourself castration of Vietnamese piglets is done using various devices in order to fix the animal so that it does not move and thus does not harm itself or interfere with the “surgeon,” since anesthesia is not administered in this case. To do this, use a special machine, a barrel, or resort to other practical methods. Thanks to the machine, the veterinarian can perform surgery without outside help. You can make the machine yourself. In order for the manufacturing process to be correct, you need to use a step-by-step diagram.

Important! The pen is only suitable for small piglets. It is simply not suitable for adult pigs and gilts due to its size.

In addition to the cooling machine, you need to prepare the following tools:

• Scalpel;
• Clamp;
• Scissors;
• Medical needles;
• Emasculator;
• Threads;
• Catgut;
• Dressing;
• Tampons;
• Streptocide.

When castrating small piglets, the list of tools is much smaller. Of all of the above, you should take only a scalpel, a clamp, tampons, iodine and streptocide.

Farmers in most cases raise Hungarian Pot-bellied pigs. Therefore, in order to achieve good growth from such piglets, they are castrated. After castration, pigs require special care during the first few days. The pen where they are placed must be warm and have clean bedding. The wound must be examined every day in order to prevent the occurrence of complications in time:

• Bleeding that occurred several hours after surgery;
• Prolapse of internal organs through an incision;
• Swelling in the wound area;
• Inflammatory process.

Important! In the postoperative period, especially on the first day, the castrated boar should not be given food. Only after lunch can you pour a small amount of liquid food into the feeder.

If swelling or inflammation occurs, it is not recommended to carry out treatment on your own. In such cases, turn to professionals. You definitely need to get an antibiotic injection.

Castration of pigs is a necessary operation if animals are planned to be raised for meat. It is best to keep babies emasculated until they are three weeks old. In this way, postoperative complications can be avoided.

Castration of piglets used to increase the profitability of pig farming and produce meat with high taste. Removal of reproductive organs has a positive effect on the behavior of sexually mature individuals and simplifies their group keeping.

The basis for castration of pigs is economic and medical indications. In uncastrated piglets, after the onset of puberty, metabolic processes and behavior change. During hunting, pigs and wild boars become restless, aggressive, eat food worse and, as a result, lose weight. In the presence of large livestock Keeping boars and pigs together is associated with certain difficulties: there is a possibility of unwanted offspring, injury to males during attacks on each other, damage to equipment and pens.

Castration of piglets makes it possible to increase weight gain with the same volumes of feed, which increases the profitability of agricultural enterprises and farms. Removing the gonads allows you to get rid of the specific unpleasant odor that boar meat has. With early castration of piglets, the meat obtained after slaughter is distinguished by tenderness and a higher percentage of fat. Hogs (castrated boars) are distinguished by their calm disposition, endurance and greater resistance to certain diseases. It is recommended to subject all piglets that will not be used as breeding stock to routine castration.

Pigs are castrated much less frequently due to the increased complexity of the procedure. Castration of pigs makes it possible to obtain thicker subcutaneous fat and accelerate weight gain. However, with the bacon type of fattening, removal of the reproductive organs is not economically justified.

Surgical intervention can be performed according to medical indications. Castration is recommended in cases where treatment of piglets, boars and pigs is possible only by removing the testes or ovaries.

Contraindications

Castration of pigs is not carried out simultaneously with any preventive procedures (vaccination, deworming, etc.). Piglets or large boars can be operated on two weeks before or two weeks after.

Before castration, all boars are carefully examined: their general condition is assessed, their temperature is measured, and their external genitalia are checked for damage and inguinal hernias. If abnormalities are detected, surgery is postponed until the condition improves.

Mass castration of piglets is not recommended if there are already established infectious diseases on the farm or suspected infection. The procedure is not performed on animals that are weak or exhausted after illness. If the reason for castration of a boar is an egg injury, it is necessary preliminary inspection scrotal tissue: surgery is strictly contraindicated in the presence of purulent foci and tissue necrosis at the site of injury. Castration of piglets and wild boars is possible only after all possible contraindications have been eliminated.

As pigs age, the likelihood of surgical and postoperative complications increases, so castration of an adult, and especially an old, boar should be carried out with extreme caution and compliance with the technique of the procedure.

Age

Unlike other animals that are bred in agriculture To obtain meat, early removal of the testes is recommended for piglets. The optimal age is from 10 days to 1.5 months. Most veterinarians agree that the operation should be carried out 5-7 days before weaning piglets from the pig: in the period from 35 to 45 days of life.

The advantages of early castration include the following:

• One-month-old piglets experience minimal blood loss and wounds heal much faster.
• At this age, anesthetics are not used, so the price of the procedure is slightly lower.
• You can restrain small boars yourself, while restraining a huge adult boar will require several people.
• The mother's milk that piglets continue to receive strengthens their immune system and promotes rapid recovery.

It is recommended to operate on piglets intended for fattening no later than 6 months. When determining the age of castration of wild boars, it is worth taking into account the fact that emasculated males increase the calorie content of meat and they more actively build up fat rather than muscle mass. In this regard, some owners individual content piglets undergo surgery several months before the planned slaughter. The boar meat obtained in this case is leaner.

Separately, it is worth dwelling on the removal of testes from breeding boars. Males used for breeding are castrated after culling at the age of 4-6 years. Before releasing a large, mature boar for slaughter, it must be fattened for some time. To determine how many months later a hog can be slaughtered, you need to know its age. It is believed that the number of months in fattening should correspond to the number of years of the male. Some farmers are of the opinion that this is not enough for boars actively involved in insemination, and advise adding another 1-2 months to the period. If the hog is slaughtered earlier, the meat will have an unpleasant taste and smell.

Methods

The choice of castration method depends on the age at which the intervention will be carried out. For piglets and young boars, testes are removed using an open method. Castration of wild boars after 4-5 years, as well as males of any age with an inguinal hernia, is carried out using a closed method. Methods such as chemical and immunological castration are used much less frequently.

Before surgery, the animal is immobilized. For mass castration of piglets, you can use a special machine. If such a device is not available, the piglet is placed on its back on its knees, or lowered upside down, pinching its neck between its legs. There are several ways to restrain the boar during surgery. Traditionally, ropes are used for this purpose. Before tying the animal, it is laid on its side, and then the hind legs are pulled up to the front. It is convenient to secure a boar in a barrel: the animal is driven into a barrel without a bottom and turned over into a horizontal position with its hind legs up. There should be reliable fixation even if the decision was made to euthanize the male.

Castration of piglets up to 2 months is carried out without the use of painkillers. When removing testes from young boars, local anesthesia can be used. During castration of boars with complications or older than 5-6 years, general anesthesia is required. The sleeping pill is calculated depending on the weight of the male and the duration of the intervention.

To carry out the procedure, you will need a set of tools: a scalpel, scissors, clamps or forceps, means for treating the surgical field and wound (iodine, powder).

Open way

Before you choose open method castration of a boar, you must carefully feel the scrotum and make sure that there is no omentum or intestinal loop that has fallen through the inguinal ring inside. During open castration of boars, all the membranes are cut, right down to the testes. Incisions are made in parallel on both sides of the scrotal suture, and the testicles are removed. Before cutting or tearing off the spermatic cords, special instruments are applied to them, which are held on the spermatic ducts to prevent bleeding (how long to hold the clamps depends on the type of instrument). If the pig is older than 2 months, the vas deferens is tied with thread. The stump of the vas deferens and the wound are treated with antiseptics.

In a closed way

This method is used for castration of boars and piglets with intravaginal hernias. The technique involves dissecting the scrotum without opening the vaginal membranes. The spermatic cord is captured together with the vaginal membrane, twisted and stitched with a ligature. An incision is made below the seam, and the stump is treated with an antiseptic. During the operation, it is necessary to check for any prolapsed intestine in the piglet and, if necessary, push it back into the abdominal cavity.

With any surgical castration, post-intervention care is important: proper nutrition, regular examination of the piglet and wound treatment.

Immunologically

The method appeared relatively recently, but has already received approval from both representatives of pig farms and animal rights activists. Immunological castration of boars involves stimulating the immune system and producing antibodies that suppress sex hormones.

As a result, androsterone and skatole, substances that give meat an unpleasant odor and taste, do not accumulate in the body of boars. Thanks to the suppression of hormones, vaccinated piglets experience the same intense growth in body weight as castrates, but their meat remains lean and the fat thickness is less than that of hogs. The disadvantage of immunological castration of boars and piglets is the high cost of the vaccine.

Chemical

Castration of pigs using medications is aimed at suppressing the function of the testes and ovaries, followed by their atrophy. The method is used quite rarely due to its economic infeasibility.

Complexity of the operation

Castration of pigs is not considered a complex operation. If sanitary standards and procedures are observed, piglets and young boars recover fairly quickly.

The likelihood of complications is present in pigs in connection with abdominal surgery. The complexity of the intervention also increases in mature males due to age-related changes in blood vessels and an increased risk of bleeding.

How long does the intervention last?

Open castration of one-month-old piglets without the administration of painkillers takes up to 10 minutes. The duration of castration of boars and pigs with preliminary fixation and administration of anesthetics lasts from 25 to 40 minutes.

In the presence of hernias and concomitant diseases, it is difficult to determine how long the operation will take. In this case, everything is decided by the condition of the animal.

Price

How much pig castration costs depends on the age of the pigs and the chosen method of carrying out the procedure. The least expensive option is to remove the testes from small piglets. The need for anesthesia in adult boars increases the cost of the operation.

Chemical castration and cessation of reproductive function in piglets by immunological methods are expensive procedures due to the high cost of drugs.

Preoperative period

When castrating pigs, complex preparation for the intervention is not required. The piglets are no longer given food within 12 hours, and on the day of the procedure they should not be given water.

Overly active and aggressive boars may be given premedication immediately before the procedure. During preparation for surgery, the pens in which the hogs will be kept should be cleaned. It is not recommended to use wood shavings and other similar materials as bedding that could get into the wound.

Postoperative period

Within 5-7 days after castration, piglets and adult hogs need regular monitoring. It is necessary to examine the scrotum and assess the general condition of the animal. If there is swelling and redness near the wound, pus is released, a hernia has prolapsed, or other changes are observed, you should consult a specialist as soon as possible. Proper care after surgery helps hogs recover quickly.

Complications

In the first hours after the intervention, hogs remain at risk of bleeding and prolapse of internal organs into the inguinal rings. Late complications include the following possible complications: entry of infectious pathogens into the wound with subsequent development of inflammation, edema, abscesses, tissue necrosis, peritonitis, sepsis.

With your own hands

Castration of pigs is performed at an early age, when the risk of bleeding and other complications is minimal. With sufficient preliminary preparation, the availability of the necessary tools and compliance with sanitary requirements, such operations can be performed by yourself and at home.

Training must take place under the guidance of a specialist. You should not be guided by articles, photos and video materials from the Internet or books on veterinary medicine. The doctor must explain the features of the procedure and care for piglets, and talk about actions in the event of possible complications. It is recommended to carry out the first DIY operations under the supervision of a specialist.

Castration of a boar of mature age or with a hernia, as well as removal of appendages in pigs, are more complex manipulations, so only a veterinarian can perform such an operation.

Castration of boars is a mandatory procedure when fattening pigs for further slaughter for meat. Regardless of the method of cessation of sexual function, it is necessary to involve qualified specialists with experience in performing such operations. The success of the intervention largely depends on compliance with all doctor’s recommendations in the preoperative and postoperative period.

Castration or castration of piglets is the artificial removal of testes in boars and ovaries in pigs.

The active work of the gonads in maturing males, and their penis with a wide spiral-shaped head in an erect state reaches half a meter in size, which are fattened not for the purpose of reproducing offspring, but to obtain high-quality meat, leads to a lot of unpleasant consequences and problems.

Inexperienced livestock breeders and consumers are concerned with the question of how to remove the unpleasant smell of meat from boars.

Piglet after castration

Purposes of sterilization

Veterinarians, in addition to the surgical method, suspend the production of semen or remove the gonads of wild boars using chemical, radioactive, hormonal intervention - a bloodless method.

Chemical castration of piglets is performed by injection

At home, in the early stages of a piglet’s development, at the age of 10 - 45 days, sterilization is performed using a manual, bloody method - a reliable method of changing hormonal levels.

Castration of piglets in the first days of life is easier to tolerate, without subsequent complications, with a minimum of blood loss.

A sterilized mature piglet is a boar:

• calm, without signs of monthly hunting;
• peaceful towards other males and people;
• with a good appetite, gains weight faster;
• more hardy;
• the meat and lard of which are more tender, without a sharp unpleasant specific odor, with better chemical properties.

Castration of boars is mandatory in order to prevent the smell of urine from processed meat products.

Castration of a piglet on a machine

Castration at a more mature age is carried out for medical reasons, when the operation is the only way removal of hernia, neoplasm, inflammation of the gonads and other pathologies.

Animals are also sterilized to prevent unwanted mating of females with males unsuitable for breeding.

Methods of bloody castration

Based on indicators such as age, weight, medical need, blood emasculation is carried out in an open or closed way.

Before sterilization it is necessary preliminary preparation animal and postoperative monitoring. The operation can be performed at any time of the year, preferably in the morning.

Methods for home castration of pigs can be as follows.

Castration by hand with a blade

Closed surgery for medical reasons (for adult boars)

1. Removal of scrotal hernia.
2. Partial castration (the parenchyma of the testis partially remains, the function of sperm production does not stop).

Open drying (for piglets of any age)

1. For ligature (for boars over 2 months of age).
2. Using Zand forceps (for large specimens).
3. Breakage of the spermatic cord - manual method (for the age of 10-20 days).
4. Equipment for pigs intended for fat fattening (over 2 months of age)

Castration of a boar for ligature - description of the procedure

Tools and accessories

Before castration of piglets takes place, all necessary tools, the machine, and the surgeon’s hands are thoroughly washed with soap and treated with a disinfectant solution.

Veterinary scalpel for castration

Forceps and elastic bands for pulling the spermatic cord

For the cooling operation you need to prepare:

• scalpel;
• cotton wool and antiseptic;
• a needle, silk threads, forceps and surgical scissors - for some methods.

Castration of young piglets

Manipulation of the removal of the gonads in young piglets of the suckling period is performed by the method of open emasculation. The testes are removed by breaking the spermatic cord.

Homemade castration machine

Progress of operational actions:

• the baby is picked upside down by the hind limbs;
• the operated area is treated with brilliant green or iodine;
• without anesthesia, a careful incision is made in the skin of the scrotum on the left or right;
• the testis is taken into the hand;
• gradually pull the cord using the method of smooth or sharp twisting, breaking or cutting;
• mandatory antiseptic treatment of the damaged area;
• the procedure is repeated with the other testicle;
• place the operated boar in a clean pen with fresh bedding; the use of sawdust is not allowed.

Scheme of castration

Compliance with all sanitary requirements and a week of monitoring the animal will prevent possible abscess or other complications.

Scrotal hernia and its surgery

Closed surgery to remove a scrotal hernia is prescribed for adult boars 60–65 days before slaughter. Mandatory observance of intervals of 14 - 15 days between this procedure and preventive vaccination will prevent dangerous complications.

Removal of an inguinal hernia in an adult boar

Surgical steps to remove an “inguinal hernia”:

1. Reliable fixation in the machine so that the operated boar is on his back in a motionless position with the rear part of the body raised upward.
2. Treat the scrotum and the skin around it with a soapy solution and dry.
3. Treat with iodine or brilliant green.
4. Anesthesia using 0.5% novocaine solution.
5. Gather the skin of the scrotum into a transverse fold, carefully cut it with a scalpel without damaging the bluish vaginal membrane.
6. The skin of the scrotum moves upward.
7. Grab the testis with the hernia and the membrane with your hands and rotate it 2-3 times around its own axis by 360 °.
8. Apply a stitching ligature at a minimum distance of 1 cm from the inguinal ring.
9. Bandage with a silk thread, trim the spermatic cord along with the captured membrane with surgical scissors, bandage again and treat the surface of the wound with an antiseptic.

Boar testes and eggs

• The first sterilization procedure at home can be carried out under the guidance of a veterinarian, after first observing his work.
• Vaccinations and treatment are carried out 2 weeks “before” or “after” the operation.
• Before the appointed day, evening feeding is canceled.
• Do not be confused, there is a difference between a boar and a hog. The first is the reproducer, he is brought out to the tribe. The hog, castrato, has an inactive penis, so this animal is kept for slaughter.

There are several tricks on how to remove boar smell from meat. You can soak boar meat in several portions of cold water until the smell disappears completely.

Soaking boar meat with spices helps remove odor

Soda, potassium permanganate, mustard, lemon, milk, kefir are used. Used in cooking spices. Another way to remove the smell is to marinate with plenty of onion and garlic.

Conclusion

The procedure for orchiectomy of suckling boars is painless, easier, with less blood loss; the penis and urinary function are not damaged during manipulation of the animal.

An experienced castrator or veterinarian will need 1-2 minutes to perform this operation.

The main reason for the procedure is high quality meat products, increasing the weight of hogs at lower feed costs.

If you turn to the lexicology of the Russian language for help, then the difference between the words boar and hog is small. Most authors of book sources believe that these concepts hide the same character - a castrated male pig. In fact, the solution to this problem lies in the ability of the animal to reproduce future generations: the boar has a similar gift, but the hog no longer has. The topic of this article: “Boar and hog - the difference.”

Boar and hog - the difference

Domestication of wild pigs began in ancient times, 13 thousand years ago, during the time of the primitive communal system. In that distant period, the cattle were practically not controlled, they were monitored only during grazing, and selection issues were left to the wise discretion of Mother Nature. It is difficult to imagine at what point our predecessors realized the significant difference in the taste of boar and hog meat. But one day, one enterprising owner of a small old ranch noticed that for culinary purposes, the meat of some artiodactyls was much better suited than others.

There are a number of tricks that can make boar meat not so tough and remove the unpleasant odor. For example, if you soak it in cold water several times, changing the container with liquid until the repulsive “aroma” disappears. Kefir, lemon, milk and mustard are suitable as a muffler for this characteristic odor. Spices, onions and garlic will also help cope with the problem - if you prepare a marinade based on them and place meat there, after some time it will acquire completely different properties.

What is the difference between a boar and a hog?

Pig farming is a priority area of ​​agricultural activity in the field of meat production because pigs gain weight very quickly: at the age of 40 weeks, piglets mature and become the size of an adult. Livestock breeders have long noticed one important detail: after castration of a pig, after slaughter you can get much more meat from it than from an uncastrated individual.

This is due to the fact that the genital organs, which are responsible for reproduction, secrete androgens during their activity.

Already from 5 months of age, hormones force males to pursue females for copulation. In turn, the absence of seminal glands has a beneficial effect on weight gain and makes pigs more peaceful and calm.

In addition to a significant bonus in the form of body weight, the meat of castrated or emasculated pigs, as farmers call them, has excellent qualities: it is more tender in texture and without the characteristic unpleasant odor inherent in uncastrated males. The process of turning a boar into a hog is quite simple. It is produced by a livestock breeder by cutting off the testes of a 3-month-old piglet. After this procedure, a castrated male begins to gain weight very quickly, provided he is properly kept and fed with high-quality food. It is not difficult to assume that the more castrates in the pigsty, the greater the profit the farm owner subsequently makes.

To produce offspring, there must be a male sire in the pigsty. However, it often becomes a source of constant worries and troubles for the farmer. Simultaneously with the cessation of puberty, he stops growing, unlike the castrato, and remains not as large an individual as his emasculated colleague in the shop.

The excessive activity of sexually mature males makes them capable of jumping over fences, breaking partitions, and even running away from the pigsty in a fit of love for freedom. Sometimes they show open forms of aggression.

Basically, at the end of the period of realizing their “male” potential, they are sent to slaughter. Boar meat is also edible, but it will not be as tasty as meat from an emasculated male. To get rid of the nasty smell, you should properly cut the carcass during slaughter. The main trick is to carefully remove the place where sexual secretion accumulates.

The difference between concepts in everyday speech

In the vast majority of publications there are no discrepancies in the interpretation of the name of a male pig. The creators of authoritative explanatory dictionaries - Efremova, Ozhegov and Ushakov agree that a hog is a castrated male intended for fattening and further slaughter, and a boar is a breeding producer whose main task is to provide the herd with offspring. Only the venerable Dahl interprets both terms identically.

However, in colloquial speech the use of these words differs significantly from the opinion of experts and compilers of encyclopedias. In the dialects of various regions, castrated boars and breeding males are often confused with each other, since everyday speech has blurred the lines between these concepts.

Sometimes there are farmers who are absolutely confident in the boar’s talent to reproduce, and many still believe that a boar and a boar are male pigs with the same characteristics.

Confusion in definitions also arose thanks to the famous works of Russian writers. Discrepancies in terminology are found both in Saltykov-Shchedrin’s mocking sketches and in the translations of some of Astrid Lindgren’s works. This points to the fact that not all writers, like not all farmers, were knowledgeable in the field of national economy.

According to one of the linguistic versions, it is believed that the misconception arose due to the fact that the word hog in our speech is borrowed from the Proto-Slavic language, whose origins go back to the Proto-Indo-European. Translated, “bhorus” means “cut,” which corresponds to the essence of a hog, but for convenience, this word was used to describe any type of wild boar.

In some regions, a male pig is called a knur. This definition is mainly used for wild boars and breeding males in the southern regions of Russia. This is where the name knuryatina comes from - a synonym for meat with a persistent unpleasant odor.

Knur - the definition is used for wild boars and breeding males in the southern regions of Russia

Features of the castration technique

Pigs are emasculated in order to transform the animal into a calmer and more profitable one. A sterilized male has the following characteristics:

• calm;
• absence of symptoms of hunting or aggression towards other animals and the owner;
• excellent appetite;
• rapid weight gain;
• good endurance;
• excellent chemical characteristics of meat;
• delicate taste of lard.

Scientists have concluded that castration of a piglet at the age of 2 weeks is more humane. During this period, he copes with pain much more easily than a 7-day-old baby. But you shouldn’t hesitate with this procedure either: the younger the male, the less he will resist, and the blood loss will not be so significant.

It is also prohibited to castrate pigs if the entire herd is infected with any infectious diseases. In such a situation, it is necessary to carry out emasculation only after the end of the quarantine period.

As a rule, if a pig is not intended to be used as a breeding male, its testes are cut off at 14 days of age. If a male hernia is found in the groin, the castration method is practiced, and if this surgical procedure is done in advance, the pig will subsequently have fewer exacerbations.

There are also supporters of the late emasculation method, who consider 2-week castration to be a lot of stress for a young individual. Often, the consequences of the situation experienced lead to the fact that in the future the pig will gain worse weight, in contrast to uncastrated males, who grow better at this stage. However, all experts agree that emasculation must be carried out 7 days before placing the baby in an enclosure separate from the mother.

There are several types of emasculation - open and closed.

Open way

This method is performed in several simple steps:

1. Make a small incision near the anterior edge, away from the anus. This manipulation should be performed extremely carefully so that the testis comes out unhindered at the site of the incision.
2. Cut through all layers of the scrotum and vaginal membrane. Separate the seminal ligament in piglets using your fingers, in mature piglets - with a scalpel.
3. Place a silk thread on the spermatic cord, 5 cm away from the testis, and cut it. It is important to step back from the thread by about 1 cm.
4. The end of the cord should be treated with any antiseptic that does not cause pain.

Sometimes farmers greatly simplify this procedure: instead of surgical intervention, the spermatic cord of the young shoots is torn off. Preliminary manipulations are the same in both cases. The only difference is this: the cord should be clamped with tweezers in the groin area and torn off in one quick movement.

Closed method

It is used primarily for the purpose of emasculating mature males or in situations where an intervaginal hernia is detected in a baby. Surgical intervention should be carried out no later than 12 weeks before slaughter:

1. Give the male mild sedatives to reduce outbursts of aggression.
2. A noose must be placed around the male's jaw and tied in the enclosure.
3. Anesthesia: if during the operation the boar is in a lying position, general anesthesia should be used, if standing, local anesthesia should be used.
4. Using a tampon, separate the vaginal membrane from adjacent tissues.
5. Place a thread of small intestines on the spermatic cord cattle and remove the testes one by one.

At the end of the procedure, it is necessary to treat this area with a painless antiseptic.

Removal of scrotal hernia

This procedure refers to the method of partial castration, after which the male’s body continues to produce sperm. This kind of operation can be carried out using several methods:

• open castration. Suitable for all males, regardless of the number of months;
• on Zand forceps. Recommended only for mature, large-sized males;
• breakage of the spermatic cord. Only for babies under 3 weeks of age;
• for a ligature. Used for adult males after reaching 2 months.

Complications after surgery

There are two types of deterioration in the health of males after emasculation: early and late. The first variety reveals itself immediately upon completion of the procedure or after a couple of hours. It manifests itself through profuse hemorrhage, sometimes even prolapse of the intestines. The second type reveals itself approximately 24 hours after castration and is accompanied by the appearance of severe inflammatory edema, blood poisoning or gangrene.

Preventive methods to eliminate complications

The main rules for observing preventive measures are proper preparation of the animal and the premises for the procedure. Proper sanitation and hygiene standards should be ensured at the surgical site and all items should be treated with special means. It is also necessary to clean the machine first.

Nowadays, many European countries are inclined towards the chemical method of emasculating males using medications, considering it more humane in comparison with painful surgical intervention.

Mandatory tools

To perform an operation to remove the seminal glands, you will need silk threads, a scalpel, forceps, an antiseptic, a needle, surgical scissors and cotton wool.

All instruments from the list must be thoroughly washed with a special disinfectant solution, and only after that proceed with the operation. Hands should first be washed well with soap.

Before making a decision to carry out emasculation, it is necessary to realize that such manipulations cause great stress in both piglets and boars. This can lead to slower growth and decreased weight gain. As a consequence of these processes, the economic efficiency breeding pigs, since the output is less meat.

Also during surgery there is a danger of infection and provoking inflammatory processes. Besides the fact that this leads to additional costs for medical care, there is a high probability of death.

The only way from a boar to a hog is through the castration procedure. Considering the pain of such a surgical procedure, one should be more correct when using these names of male pig varieties.

Video - How to castrate a piglet