Sheep & Goats Castration

Castration of male goats or kids is usually done during the first 7 – 14 days of their life. Castration of young animals produces less stress because they are more tolerant to pain at this age and have less chance of complications occurring during this procedure. Castration is usually performed to avoid undesirable odors associated with male goats, aggressive sexual behavior, accidental breeding by a buck of inferior quality, and to reduce undesirable flavors in meat in animals raised for meat purposes.

However, this procedure will reduce growth rate and increase the potential of urinary calculi in fatting kids used for meat. Also, if the kid is used as a long term pet or companion animal, it is advisable to wait until the animal reaches puberty (4 months old), and then perform castration. This will allow the growth of the penis and urethra, thereby reducing the opportunity for urinary calculi. This will also enable the penis to separate from the prepuce, thus enabling the veterinarian to examine the penis, prepuce, and urethra if needed.

The two ways to castrate a goat are surgical and nonsurgical.


Surgical Method

This method is usually performed using mild sedation under xylazine (or any approved sedative drug for goats), and pain is managed with flunixin. A handler restrains the kid, while an experienced person performs the castration.

Mud, dirt, and manure are removed from the scrotum, and the area is prepped with disinfectant prior to making an incision. The scrotum is grasped with the forefinger and thumb, and stretched away from the animal ’s body. This forces the testicles toward the body so that the bottom half of the scrotum can be removed with a knife or scalpel blade without cutting the testicles.

The testicles are forced into the open scrotum and grasped with one hand, while the other hand is used to strip the fascia, fat, and cremaster muscle surrounding the cord. This is best accomplished by using the thumb and forefinger of one hand to encircle the cord, then stripping the spermatic cord by moving your fingers up and down, while the other hand grasps the testicles and pulls it away from the animal ’s body.

Once the cremaster muscle has been separated from the spermatic cord, the testicle is pulled or emasculated with an emasculator, or by using the Henderson tool on a power drill to twist the cord till it breaks.

This procedure is repeated on the other testicle. Any fat or fascia hanging from the scrotum is trimmed even with the bottom of the scrotum.


Nonsurgical Method

This method is usually performed with an elastrator or a Burdizzo clamp. Mild sedation may be used on kids that are older than 2 weeks of age.


1. Elastrator


This procedure, sometimes called bloodless castration, involves putting a heavy rubber ring around the neck of the scrotum close to the body. The ring stops blood supply to the testicles and scrotum that will later shrivel and slough off in 10 – 14 days. Bigger testicles may take a long time to slough off.

The rubber ring is put on the prongs of the elastrator, and the handle is squeezed to open the prongs along with the band. The male kid is restrained, and
the scrotum with the testicles is passed through the open ring with the prongs/band facing the kid ’s abdomen. Make sure both of the testicles along with the scrotum pass through the band and that the ring is positioned on the neck of the scrotum just below the penis.

Kids usually show minimal discomfort for about 30 minutes to 2 hours after banding. Kids are usually monitored for urination, appetite, and discomfort for the first 24 hours. This method has a higher risk of tetanus than other methods of castration. If the practice is to band kids at less than 3 weeks of age, make sure the does are vaccinated for tetanus 3 – 4 weeks before kidding. This will protect the kids from tetanus through ingestion of colostrum. Some prefer to give the kids a tetanus antigen and an injection of Procaine Penicillin (or any approved antibiotic for goats) at the time of banding, if the does were not vaccinated prior to kidding.


2. Burdizzo or Emasculatome


Castration can also be accomplished by using a Burdizzo clamp or emasculatome. This procedure involves clamping or crushing the spermatic cord without surgically opening the scrotum. Clamping the cord damages the blood supply to the testicle, causing the testicle to atrophy. This method is best used during the fly season because it leaves no open wounds. Goats must be between 4 weeks and 4 months of age with 2 – 3 months of age being ideal.

After restraining the animal under mild sedation, grasp the scrotum and manipulate one testicle to the bottom of the scrotal sac and find the spermatic cord. Place the Burdizzo clamp over the spermatic cord one - third of the way down the neck of the scrotum. Clamp down and hold for 15 – 20 seconds. Release the clamp, reposition it over the spermatic cord 1/2 inch (1.2 cm) below and repeat the procedure. Perform the same steps on the other side to crush the other spermatic cord.

Complications associated with the use of an emaculatome include tetanus, damage of the penis, swelling, and failure of the testicle and scrotum to atrophy and slough.