Castration of piglets preparation. How long does the intervention last? Preparing for surgery

Puberty of pigs and pigs is accompanied by an increase in the level of sex hormones in their bodies (androgens and estrogens). They are the ones responsible for the appearance of an unpleasant, pungent odor that cannot be gotten rid of, as well as loss of quality and weight of meat.

Castration of piglets is a very difficult and delicate matter. It is necessary to have maximum knowledge about this procedure in order to avoid possible complications as a result of incorrect actions. In our article you will learn what proper castration of piglets should be like with your own hands, as well as whether it can be done at home, and at what age boars are ready for this procedure.

Experienced breeders insist on castration or castration of piglets at one and a half to two months of age. This choice is explained by the fact that it is at this age that animals experience the least amount of pain compared to suckling babies or adults. The minimum age for surgery is 10 days, and the optimal age is two weeks. Small piglets have significantly less blood loss than boars. Another advantage of castrating pigs at a young age is that the piglet does not need to be held by several assistants, like a mature boar.

The video shows well how castration of piglets is done in compliance with all the rules. The most popular procedure among many pig farmers remains closed castration of pigs, since this technology allows to protect animals from large blood loss.

What is needed before surgery:

For babies - a special design on which they are secured in a supine position with all legs fixed forward;
For boars - fixation with ropes and the help of several strong men;
Medicinal preparation for piglets and adult pigs. The appropriate pain relief medication and its dosage should be checked with your veterinarian.

It is forbidden to perform castration without anesthesia, because an animal in pain will resist and squeal. An adult boar can easily escape from pain and cause serious injuries to those around him, but I feel sorry for the little piglets. In the next video you can watch how a boar is castrated at home.

It is necessary to maintain an interval of two weeks between castration, deworming and vaccination; it is strictly prohibited to carry out these procedures at the same time!

Castration of Vietnamese piglets is especially necessary because their meat may lose its delicious bacon qualities. The operation can also prevent unwanted pregnancies of piglets unsuitable for breeding.

Elite piglets remain for breeding and therefore are not subject to castration.

How to castrate regular and Vietnamese piglets

To ensure that the piglet castration operation takes place as quickly but correctly as possible, prepare the equipment and tools:

A machine for castrating piglets, which can be dispensed with only if the animal has a calm character, and the procedure will be performed by a veterinarian with experience in performing such operations;

Surgical scissors for clamping blood vessels;
Scalpel;
Medical needle;
Silk threads or catgut;
Antiseptic for incision treatment.

Before surgery on an adult animal, prepare disinfected special veterinary forceps for docking and castration.

Before the procedure, thoroughly disinfect the machine with tools to prevent blood contamination and death of the animal, as well as your hands. It is advisable to operate with medical gloves to prevent wound infection. The animal must be thoroughly washed. Instruments must be sterilized again for each piglet or boar. The ideal time of year for castration is warm spring, summer and warm autumn. The animals are not fed the night before surgery.

Castration of a piglet and an adult animal can be done in different ways:

Bloody. The integrity of organs, membranes or skin is damaged. Technologies differ in the degree of intervention in the animal’s body - partial, open and closed.
Bloodless. Complete absence of any penetration into the body. There are mechanical, chemical and x-ray castration technologies. All of them are very complex and require significant financial resources, therefore, in small farmsteads and small farms their use is unprofitable.

Features of different methods of castration:

For ordinary and pot-bellied piglets up to 14 days old, castration is done using the “breakage of the spermatic cord” method. The scrotum is cut along the middle seam, the testis is removed and the transitional ligament is cut off. After retracting both testicles in turn, the spermatic cord is intercepted with the fingers closer to the groin and cut off. After the operation, the wound is treated with iodine tincture, and the incision is stitched to avoid bleeding. If you decide not to stitch, be sure to treat the edges of the wound with an antibiotic-based ointment.

Piglets from two weeks of age undergo surgery using a ligature. The scrotum is dissected along the central suture, the spermatic cord is taken out and placed between two fingers (index and middle). Now you need to carefully tie the cord with a ligature (silk thread or catgut of your choice) and cut 1 cm above the ligature point towards the testes. The resulting stump should be lubricated with antibiotic ointment, which can be replaced with a 5% iodine solution, and Vaseline oil is suitable for lubricating the edges of the wound.

For piglets with inguinal hernias, adult animals and boars closed technology castration. During the operation, the vaginal membrane is not opened, but is separated from the surrounding tissues with a gauze swab. Near the inguinal ring, the spermatic cord with a single vaginal membrane is tied with silk thread or catgut, and cut off below the ligation site. The second testis is removed in the same way. Here you can watch a video tutorial on closed castration of pigs.

In the European Union, in 2013, chemical bloodless castration began to be used, during which anesthesia and a new generation of medications are used. This technique makes it possible to guarantee the avoidance of complications following conventional castration methods in the form of an inflammatory process and infection in the wound. European experts claim that chemical castration avoids unnecessary suffering of animals and the appearance of an unpleasant odor in meat.

Caring for animals after surgery

Once you are sure that your animals are absolutely healthy and their condition and temperature are normal, you can perform surgery. Then, for 3-5 days, observation of the operated piglets and adult boars is mandatory. Particular attention should be paid to the general condition and healing of wounds.

Castrated animals must be temporarily separated from the herd and placed in disinfected cages with clean, dry straw bedding. It is prohibited to use material made from small particles or sawdust as flooring, otherwise they can clog into open wounds and cause various complications. After castration, piglets should not have a depressed state or discharge from the operated area.

Any negative changes in the surgical field, redness, or severe swelling require immediate contact with a veterinarian and treatment as quickly as possible. The sooner complications are eliminated, the greater the animal’s chances of recovery.

Operated pigs and piglets can be released outside no earlier than the wounds have completely healed, which usually heal within six days.

What should a machine for castrating piglets be like and how to make it yourself

You can buy a machine for castrating piglets ready-made, made of metal with special fixation of the hind legs. If necessary, when it is not possible to purchase a branded machine, you can make it yourself from wood. In the photo you can see what it looks like. This is usually a sturdy wooden table with a semi-circular cutout on one side and a strap to secure the legs of a piglet or small pig. This machine allows the farmer to do without an assistant.

When breeding and fattening pigs, it is impossible to ignore such a procedure as castration of piglets. Most often, they turn to veterinarians to carry it out. However, for a long time, most pig farmers managed to carry out this procedure on their own. Today there are several methods of castration, and there are debates about the timing of its implementation. Let's try to figure out how to castrate piglets without unnecessary risk and harm and carry out this procedure correctly.

The essence and purpose of castration

Castration of pigs (emasculation) is most often a surgical operation consisting of forced suspension of activity or complete removal of the gonads. In addition to surgery, there are hormonal, chemical, and radioactive methods of castration.

At home, only the method of surgical removal of the gonads is applicable. This procedure is performed at a certain age and causes significant changes in metabolism, a disruption in the hormonal background of the animal, which causes certain external deviations in the development of a castrated individual compared to non-castrated ones.

Let's look at the purpose of castration of piglets at home, and whether this problem can be solved in other ways.

Goals that solve hormonal problems

Piglets, like other animals, grow and mature. As they grow, the body's production of estrogens and androgens - sex hormones - increases. Various changes occur in the body of animals, which are often not only undesirable when fattening pigs, but also lead to direct economic losses.

Uncastrated animals regularly (monthly) experience sexual hunting which leads to overexcitation of pigs of both sexes, excessive anxiety, loss of appetite, and, as a consequence, loss of weight gain and deterioration in product quality;
Uncastrated boars that have reached puberty and are unsuitable for any reason for reproducing offspring can accidentally cover gilts;
Castration of boars prevents them from becoming aggressive in adulthood. They do not attack each other or people, and do not break equipment;
The meat of an uncastrated boar has a characteristic unpleasant persistent odor, which makes the product unsuitable for consumption. Therefore, all animals raised for the purpose of producing meat products, must be emasculated.

Goals that solve treatment problems

Sometimes problems arise in pig farming that can be solved in a particular animal through surgery - castration. Indications for it may include diseases such as inflammation of the testes, hernia, some neoplasms and other pathologies. In this case, it is better to contact a specialist to make an accurate diagnosis and clarify the feasibility of this operation.

Goals that solve economic problems

Castration allows you to obtain high-quality products. After all, owners of uncastrated animals must constantly solve the main problem: how to remove the unpleasant specific smell from boar meat;
Makes it possible to obtain greater weight gain in animals at lower feed costs;
This operation facilitates group keeping of animals;
Castrated animals have better endurance and growth rates.

Time frame for castration

Modern research in the field of animal husbandry has shown that early castration - at suckling age - is tolerated most easily by piglets, with less blood loss and minimal complications. It is carried out on piglets aged from 10 to 45 days.

Let's look at the benefits of castration at an early age:

During this procedure, minimal effort is required to secure the animal;
Being with a sow, babies calm down faster and tolerate stress more easily;
IN early age there is no need to use painkillers;
Mother's milk contains the necessary antibodies, which have a positive effect on wound healing and the preservation of the immunity of small piglets;
Minimal blood loss during surgery;
Early emasculation leads to the fastest healing of surgical wounds;
Complications occur less frequently compared to castration of large boars;
Minimal use of medications;
Early hormonal changes lead to rapid growth and development of young animals.

It is better when this operation is performed by an experienced veterinarian, but, in exceptional cases, piglets can be castrated with their own hands.

Experts have several opinions on the question: at what age is it best to castrate piglets? In principle, this operation can be performed in different terms, but the younger the pig, the less effort and helpers are required to carry out emasculation. It should also be taken into account that for fattening boars should be castrated before they reach six months of age. Otherwise, the manifested sexual instincts will persist even after castration and will make it difficult to keep pigs in common pens.

Preparing for surgery

Animals can be castrated at any time of the year. Depending on the time of day, it is better to organize this procedure in the morning, since you will have a whole day ahead of you for observation in the postoperative period.

It is important to note that castration cannot be performed simultaneously with other preventive procedures (vaccination, deworming, etc.). It is required to maintain a two-week break between any interventions in the animal’s life.

Animals to be castrated should be carefully selected and tested. It is necessary to conduct a study of the operated area. This procedure can significantly affect the surgical plan and will also help avoid possible complications. An external examination of the skin is carried out to identify possible damage to the skin of the scrotum. Next, using palpation, the mobility of the tunica vaginalis, the size of the testicles, the length of the spermatic cord, the presence of damage to the listed tissues, as well as the possibility of the presence of foreign contents in the cavity of the tunica vaginalis: fluid, omentum, neoplasms, intestines, and other things are determined.

Select and sterilize the instruments and devices necessary for castration. In standard cases, this operation may require:

several belly scalpels;
hemostatic forceps;
Cooper scissors or straight;
needle holder and needles;
anatomical and surgical tweezers;
emasculator;
catgut, silk threads, dressing material.

In 10-15 minutes, prepare your hands for the operation. This procedure includes two stages: mechanical cleaning (clipping nails, removing hangnails, cleaning subungual spaces) and hand treatment using the Alfeld method (washing for 3 minutes, treatment with disinfecting solutions). Wear surgical gloves.

They begin castration of selected and appropriately prepared animals.

Methods of castration

In modern veterinary medicine, there are several ways to perform emasculation of artiodactyls. They can be divided into bloodless and bloody operations.

Bloodless operations include procedures that ensure the emasculation of boars and pigs without breaking the skin and introducing them into the body. These include chemical castration of boars, mechanical and radiological (X-ray radiation). These methods are quite expensive and their use on small farms is not economically profitable.

Bloody operations include all surgical interventions in the animal’s body, in which there is a violation of the integrity of the skin. These procedures can be closed or open.

Closed operations

Such procedures are prescribed only to very large or adult boars, as well as when a diagnosis of inguinal hernia is made. Castration is carried out no earlier than 2 months before slaughter, and also maintaining a two-week interval with preventive vaccinations.

Casting of adult boars

It is important to securely fix the boar on its back, or in another accessible position, ensuring its immobility. The skin of the scrotum and adjacent skin is washed with soapy water, dried and treated with iodine solution. Then it is necessary to carry out local anesthesia with a 0.5% solution of novocaine. The skin of the scrotum is collected into a transverse fold and dissected so as not to inadvertently damage the vaginal membrane (characteristic bluish color). The testis is grasped along with the membrane, the skin of the scrotum is pushed upward. After this, the testis and the common vaginal membrane are rotated around their own axis by 360° and a stitching ligature is applied at a minimum distance from the inguinal ring. The spermatic cord along with the captured membrane is securely bandaged and cut, stepping back from the dressing by 1 cm. For better healing of the wound, tricillin or a medicinal aerosol "Chemi spray" is applied to it.

Scrotal hernia surgery

If a scrotal hernia is detected, it should be operated on as quickly as possible. The animal must be immobilized in the “lying on its back” position, raising the rear part of the body higher. The surgical field is prepared as described above. Skin incision is made near the hernial ring, maintaining the integrity of the vaginal membrane. The hernia is carefully separated from the contents of the scrotum. Typically, a hernia is an intestinal loop, the contents of which must be pushed into the abdominal cavity. The spermatic cord and testis, together with the vaginal membrane, are twisted 2-3 times. Care should be taken to ensure that the intestinal loop is not caught. The ligature is applied at a minimum distance from the hernial or inguinal ring, and the part to be removed is cut off. The remainder is securely bandaged again, and the wound is treated in the same way.

Open operations

These are the most common methods of emasculation of piglets at different ages. Depending on the weight of the animal, a special machine is used to castrate piglets or any affordable way immobilization.

Castration for ligature

The piglet is fixed in any way, the hair on the scrotum is cut off and the surgical field is treated. Anesthesia is not used. With your left hand, grab the testis with your thumb and forefinger, slightly pull back the skin of the scrotum and make incisions on both sides of the suture, retreating approximately 1 cm. Take out the exposed testis, slightly pull it by the cord and apply a strong ligature to it. The testis is cut off below the dressing, the stump is cauterized with iodine, and the wound is treated in the manner described above.

Method of breaking the spermatic cord

This method is applied to small piglets from 10 to 20 days of age. The technique corresponds to the “ligature” castration method described above, but differs in that the spermatic cord is gradually pulled up and twisted until it is completely separated, or it is abruptly cut off, having previously been secured using a special clamp. The wound is treated with antiseptics.

Caring for animals after surgery

Only completely healthy animals can be operated on. After castration, boars should be monitored for 4-5 days. Particular attention should be paid to wound healing and general condition animal.

Pens for castrated boars should be prepared in advance, cleaned and laid with clean, fresh bedding. During the postoperative period, sawdust should not be used for bedding, as its small particles can clog into wounds and cause inflammation.

In case of severe swelling or redness of the surgical field, you should contact a veterinarian as soon as possible, who can diagnose and help cope with the complication that has arisen.

Most often, already castrated piglets are sold on the market, but when breeding pigs, the farmer must be prepared to carry out such an operation. At what age you will castrate the animal, how you will castrate the boars - yourself or invite a specialist, open or closed method, bloody or bloodless - you choose. But, already at the planning stage of pig farming, you should realize that this procedure is necessary and inevitable, and you can only choose the most humane method in which the animals will receive the least stress.

Owners of private household plots and peasant farms engaged in breeding and raising piglets have to periodically resort to castration of their boars.

Why do owners of piglets have to resort to castration?

As piglets grow and develop, they begin to produce sex hormones (androgens and estrogens). The production of these hormones by animals causes changes in the body of piglets, which from an economic point of view become unprofitable for owners of private household plots and peasant farms. The main reasons why piglet owners are forced to resort to castration:

Uncastrated piglets go into heat every month, which leads to loss or reduction of feed consumption, as a result, weight gain decreases, the quality of meat products deteriorates, and piglets experience severe anxiety.
Piglets that are not castrated in a timely manner may accidentally enter into sexual contact with sows, including those that are unsuitable for further reproduction.
An uncastrated boar subsequently becomes aggressive to service personnel and other animals when kept together.
Meat obtained from an uncastrated boar has an unpleasant odor, becomes coarser and can only be used in small quantities in meat processing plants.
The piglet has a hernia, inflammation of the testes, neoplasms, etc.

Time frame for castration.

Most owners of private household plots and peasant farms, based on the fact that piglets most easily tolerate castration and have the least number of complications (bleeding), this operation is carried out in suckling period. The most optimal age for castration in piglets is considered to be between 10 and 45 days. When performing castration during these time periods, we have a number of advantages:

Less physical effort is required to secure the piglet during surgery.
Minimal blood loss.
Minimal risk of any complications.
No painkillers are required.
Being under the sow, piglets tolerate the stress resulting from castration more easily.
For the speedy healing of the wound, the piglets receive the necessary protective antibodies from the sow.
Castration performed at an early age contributes to better development piglets.

Owners of private household plots and peasant farms for some reason did not carry out castration at an early age, must carry out this operation before 6 months of age because later castration will affect the quality of meat products from a given pig.

Some experienced owners of private household plots and peasant farms perform early castration on their own. To perform castration on their own, piglet owners must at least know the anatomical and topographical data of the piglet’s genitals ().

Methods of castration of boars

There are several methods for castrating boars in veterinary medicine. These methods are divided, as in other animals, into two main types - bloodless and surgical (bloody).

Bloodless castration of a piglet is carried out without disturbing the skin of the scrotum. Bloodless techniques include:

Chemical castration.
Mechanical castration.
Radiological castration (use of X-rays).

Considering that the above methods are quite expensive and often not feasible in the conditions of private household plots and peasant farms, they are practically not used today.

Surgical methods of castration.

Surgical castration of boars is the most common because... it is convenient to carry out in the conditions of private household plots and peasant farms. With this method, castration of boars is performed with complete removal of the testes (bloody method) in an open or closed way. Veterinary specialists most widely use the closed method, since in boars there is often an expansion of the inguinal canals, which is accompanied by either hernia or prolapse of the viscera through a castration wound after the operation. open method.

On the eve of castration, it is advisable for the owners of the animal to deprive them of food, and immediately before castration, let the boar go for a walk, during which he will empty his intestines and bladder.

Owners of piglets should keep in mind that castration cannot be performed simultaneously with preventive measures such as vaccination and deworming. The minimum break between the above procedures should be at least two weeks. In the event that animal owners perform castration themselves, they must comply with existing rules asepsis and antiseptics (hand washing, sterilization of instruments and materials used during castration).

Castration with breaking of the spermatic cord (“to the break”). This type castration is carried out openly in young boars at the end of the suckling period.

Fixation. The boar is fixed in the dorsal or left lateral position, bringing all four limbs together; The piglet can be held head down with your hands. No anesthesia is used.

Technique of operation. With the left hand, the skin of the scrotum is tensed on the fixed testis. The skin of the scrotum is opened with a scalpel parallel to the suture (at a distance of 1-1.5 cm from it in the direction of the abdomen) and along the entire length of the testis so that the common vaginal tunica is also opened. After dissecting the vaginal ligament with scissors or a scalpel, the common tunica vaginalis is separated from the epididymis and spermatic cord. Then the spermatic cord is clamped with strong hemostatic tweezers, fixed in the left hand, as close to the inguinal canal as possible, and the spermatic cord with the testis is grabbed with the fingers of the right hand and with a quick jerk they break it off near the tweezers. The tweezers are immediately removed, and the castration wound is filled with an antiseptic drug (tricillin, etc.).

Castration using a ligature (“on a ligature”).

Castration using a ligature by veterinary specialists is performed on older boars in the following two main ways.

Open way. Technique of operation. After cutting the layers of the scrotum and the common tunica vaginalis, the vaginal ligament is incised and the testis and spermatic cord are separated from the common tunica vaginalis. The veterinarian ties the thinned part of the spermatic cord with a silk ligature (castration knot). Below it, 1.5 -2 cm, the spermatic cord is crossed with scissors. The resulting wound is filled with an antiseptic drug.

Closed method. With this method, the veterinarian uses a scalpel or the sharp end of rectangular scissors to carefully cut the skin of the scrotum that is tense on the testis along the length of the entire testis. Then he additionally dissects the muscular-elastic membrane and fascia without disturbing the integrity of the common vaginal membrane. With an energetic movement, fixing the testis with the finger of the left hand, squeezes the testis, covered with a common vaginal membrane, through the wound. Having pulled the testis out of the wound to the thinned part of the spermatic cord and moving the edges of the scrotum towards the inguinal ring, a ligature is applied to the spermatic cord along with the common vaginal membrane. Then, at a distance of 2 cm from the ligature, the spermatic cord is cut with scissors.

Castration of old boars

Castration of old boars is performed in a lying or standing position.

Fixation and anesthesia. A loop of strong rope is thrown over the boar's upper jaw, which is then pulled either through a ring fixed in the floor, or through a crossbar near the floor between two posts. For castration in a supine position, intratesticular anesthesia with thiopental - or pentothal - sodium is used. When castrating in a standing position, local anesthesia is used - 10 ml of a 4% solution of novocaine is injected into the thickness of each spermatic cord; an additional solution is injected subcutaneously along the incision line of the scrotum. To reduce the aggressiveness of the boar, an antipsychotic (aminazine, stresnil, etc.) is prescribed intramuscularly before local anesthesia.

Operation technique. The veterinarian firmly grasps the testis with his left hand, dissects all layers of the scrotum along with the common vaginal membrane, and tears the vaginal ligament with his fingers (this can be done easily in a boar). Separates the spermatic cord from the common vaginal membrane and applies a ligature of thick silk or catgut thread No. 8-10 to its thinned part. Then, at a distance of 2 cm from the ligature, we cross the spermatic cord with scissors. If there is a very large gap in castration wounds, it is advisable to close them with a suture made of synthetic thread, and all four edges of the wound of the dissected scrotum are stitched with it at the same time. Typically, the veterinarian will make three looped sutures. At first they are not tied, but by pulling the threads, the edges of both wounds are brought together and an oil suspension of an antibiotic or tricillin is injected into the cavity of each half of the scrotum. After this, the stitches are pulled together and tied.

Castration of boars with intravaginal hernia

It is recommended to castrate boars with an intravaginal hernia at an early age.

Technique of operation. The boar is strengthened in a dorsal position with the rear half of the body raised. The surgical field is prepared and anesthesia is performed in the usual way. During the operation, the veterinarian makes an incision not in the scrotum area, as usual, but against the external inguinal ring (against the hernial ring) 6-9 cm long. To do this, the veterinarian uses tweezers to collect the skin into a transverse fold and dissect it. The common tunica vaginalis, which in the case of a hernia is the hernial sac, is not opened, but is separated along with the spermatic cord and the testis is twisted 1-2 turns, making sure that the loop of intestine is not pinched. On top of the common vaginal membrane, as close as possible to the hernial ring, the veterinarian applies a stitching ligature and, moving 1 cm away from it towards the testis, cuts it off. We sew the resulting stump with the ends of the ligature to the hernial ring, passing one end of the thread through the outer edge of the hernial opening, and the second through the inner one, after which we tie both ends of the ligature.

Any farmer who breeds pigs understands that they cannot do without the castration procedure. In most cases, people turn to a veterinarian for help. professional methods The pig was castrated. However, some farmers prefer to do this themselves at home.

There are many methods: open and closed, bloody and bloodless. In order to carry out the operation yourself, you need to know at least one method out of several available. But it is worth noting that experts are still debating the timing of piglet castration. It is necessary to understand in more detail how to castrate piglets with your own hands, without causing great risk and harm to the animal.

The very name of castration refers to a surgical intervention that involves the forced suspension of the activity of the gonads in an animal. In addition to the surgical method of castration, there are also:

Hormone
Chemical
Radioactive

If we talk about carrying out the procedure at home, then Only surgical method is suitable. This procedure should only be carried out after the boar reaches a certain age. After castration, a pig undergoes significant changes in metabolism and hormonal imbalance in the body. All this can provoke external deviations in the development of the boar. But why is a boar castrated? And is it possible to bypass this procedure in other ways?

When raising pigs for meat, castration of piglets is of no small importance. This process can be done at home with your own hands, if you know the requirements of such manipulation and master the technique of its implementation. Experienced veterinarians castrate a piglet in 1-2 minutes.

All wild boars, except breeding ones, are subject to castration.

The main reasons why almost all males in the pig industry are castrated, excluding those kept for use in breeding, include:

Behavioral. Upon reaching 5 months of age or 100 kg. males begin to enter a period of active puberty. This is manifested by a change in their behavioral type. Such pigs begin to conflict with each other, expressing an aggressive character. Farm workers have difficulty coping with them. At the same time, castrated peers are calmer.
Quality of meat products. If the pig has not been castrated, then its meat has an unpleasant odor for physiological reasons.

This occurs because the boar's seminal glands produce androstenone, a hormone that accumulates in the saliva and is converted into a pheromone that attracts sows. And skatole, formed in the intestines, enters the adipose tissue through the walls. They are released from meat products when exposed to high temperatures during cooking.

What time to castrate?

Best age for castration of a piglet - 1.5 months.

There is no universal rule about when to castrate. Meanwhile, the younger the individual, the easier it is to do this: blood loss will be significantly less than that of an adult male. It has been established that piglets less than a week old feel pain more acutely than babies older than two weeks. Because of this, it is not recommended to castrate piglets under two weeks of age. This shock may affect their weight gain in the future. Piglets that have not been castrated grow and develop faster.

Castings should not be carried out in conjunction with vaccination of piglets. The time gap between such procedures must be at least 14 days. Castration is postponed during the period of unfavorable epidemiological situation in the pigsty.

Castration of piglets under the age of 1.5 months is considered optimal. It is recommended to carry out castration in the morning in order to be able to monitor the condition of the operated piglet.

Necessary equipment

Modern universal veterinary forceps replace half of the castration instruments.

Castration is an surgical process that involves cutting soft tissue and small blood vessels. You should be prepared for some blood to leak from the incision site.

As surgical instruments you should purchase:

abdominal scalpel,
Cooper Scissors,
emasculator,
silk and stitching threads,
catgut,
needles with a holder, as well as several tweezers (hemostatic, surgical and anatomical).

Important! The instruments used must be used only in sterile form.

Hands should also be disinfected. The nail plates are cut short, and the space under the nail is thoroughly cleaned. Immediately before the procedure, hands are washed with disinfecting solutions for 3 minutes (Alfeld method). After this, you should wear medical rubber gloves.

Preparing for surgery

The piglet is carefully examined before surgery.

Before selecting piglets for such a procedure, it is necessary to examine their scrotum and adjacent tissues. There should be no damage, neoplasms or subcutaneous accumulations of fluid. The operation should be started only if no damage to the epithelium on the genital organ is detected.

The piglet is fixed on its back, and the stubble is shaved off from the area to be surgically treated. This area of skin is then lubricated with alcohol or iodine solution.

For small piglets, pain relief is carried out with local drugs. An adult male is given intramuscular injection of azaperone at the rate of 1 ml for every 10 kg of live weight. The injection is given into the muscles of the upper inner thigh.

What are the methods of castration?

Surgical castration of a piglet is a simple and almost bloodless operation.

Today there are the following types of castration:

Without surgical intervention (chemical, radiological, mechanical). These methods are the most gentle for the animal, but have a high cost, so small farms cannot use them.
Surgical method (closed and open type).

Open surgery is the most common procedure for castration. As a rule, these are piglets up to 1.5 months of age. In order for the person being operated on to perform the procedures without interference, they are fixed in the machines.

Adult animals tolerate castration surgery worse than piglets.

Closed-type technology is used for castration of adult males and young animals with the presence of an intravaginal hernia. The peculiarity of this method is that there is no need to open the shell. The ligature is applied to the spermatic cord, capturing the vaginal membrane next to the inguinal ring. Then the testis is cut off at the bottom from the ligature. Then the same procedure is performed on the other testis.

Castration of adult pigs

In a small farming It is enough to have 1 stud boar. The meat of such an animal is unsuitable for consumption. Adult males are usually castrated by veterinarians. It is recommended to carry out the procedure at least 2 months before slaughter. This will make it possible to sell animal meat for consumption.

Attention! If it is necessary to operate on an adult male, then the machine for castration of young animals cannot be used due to the large size of the animal.

At this age, castration can be carried out not only to improve farm productivity, but also for medical reasons. It is indicated for scrotal hernia, inflammatory processes in the gonads and other similar problems.

Castration of a boar is carried out several months before slaughter to eliminate odor.

The disadvantages of castrating adults are quite high pain and subsequent complications. They can appear either after a short period after surgery, or after a fairly long period of time.

During the first 24 hours, bleeding and loss may occur. internal organs: omentum, intestines, bladder and stump remaining after castration from the spermatic cord. Such types of pathologies do not arise in a more distant time. Late complications may begin to appear on the second day. These include swelling of the operated area, funiculitis, phlegmon, peritonitis, sepsis, gangrene.

Hernia surgery

Protrusion of the wall of the scrotum or peritoneum and prolapse of internal organs through the inguinal ring are treated surgically. Such problems may be congenital or appear later.

Surgical removal of a hernia is performed only by a veterinarian.

Signs of a hernia include protrusion of a loop of intestine or omentum into the hernial opening. Treatment can be either conservative or surgical:

Conservative. It is used in the form of bandages or bandages that support the piglet's belly. Or ointments are used to help close the hernial ring with a scar. Lugol's solution or 10% sodium chloride colloid is injected into adjacent tissues. But such methods do not bring 100% cure.
Operational. An effective result from treatment is provided only through surgical intervention. This procedure is carried out under sterile conditions of hands and instruments. The animal is washed in the area of the operation. The pig is then placed in the pen in a supine position and anesthetized.

The stubble in the area of the incision is first scraped off and the area is treated with an antiseptic and the surrounding tissue is tanned. Also, the area on the skin is lubricated with iodine after shaving the stubble and immediately before the procedure.

After applying the suture, the veterinarian seals the suture with a special adhesive plaster.

If the hernia is small, a straight incision is made. Then the hernial sac is prepared at a distance of 3-5 cm from the edge, the intestinal loops or omentum are set inside and 3-5 stitches are applied. In this case, the needle is inserted into the tissue at a distance of 1-2 cm from the hernial opening, and pulled out near its edge. The opposite side is sutured in the same way.

After this, the hernial sac is moved outside the ring, and its neck is compressed by the intestinal sphincter. Only after this is it stitched with catgut below the place of compression. Then the hernial sac is cut off 2.5 cm from the suture and tightened, with a preliminary ligature applied to the hernial ring. The incision site is covered with streptocide powder, the skin is stitched, and the scar is covered with an adhesive bandage.

In the postoperative period, the animal is kept in a separate pen with thick bedding, with mandatory adherence to the temperature regime. For 2-3 hours after the operation, it is necessary to monitor the animal, because complications such as bleeding or loss of the bandage are possible.

Observation of the animal after surgery is necessary for several hours.

Open operations

Piglets are most often castrated openly. The operation is carried out using a machine for fixing the animal. The principle is to violate the integrity of the spermatic cord. This method is used to castrate suckling piglets at approximately 2 weeks of age. The testis is grasped with two fingers, and after that the scrotum is incised. This is done in one movement, at a distance of 0.5 -1 cm parallel to the suture of the scrotum.

The testis is then removed and the transitional ligament is cut. The tissue is moved towards the outer inguinal ring to allow the spermatic cord to pass between the fingers. The testis is twisted with the right hand and pulled away from the abdominal cavity, and with the left it is fixed and twisted behind the index finger on the right hand. After this, with a jerking movement, the fabric is stretched until it breaks. The incision site is treated with an antibiotic mixed with petroleum jelly or another anesthetic.

Attention! For older males, the procedure is done using the same technology before cutting the transitional ligament.

Then, with the left hand, the incised tissue is retracted to the walls of the peritoneum. The spermatic cord is passed between two fingers, the ligature is applied at a distance of 0.5-1 cm from the testis, and then dissected. The remaining stumps are treated with iodine mixed with glycerin (1x10). To prevent the formation of a hard crust, the edges of the cuts are lubricated with Vaseline.

The piglet is firmly fixed during castration.

Castration for ligature

Piglets that are 10 days old are castrated using this method. But most often this procedure is used on males aged 45-65 days. Depending on the growth of the piglet, it is fixed in a position on its back or held head down by its limbs. For this purpose, at home you can use, for example, a trough or a ladder.

After shaving or trimming the stubble, the skin at the site of future tissue dissection is treated with a 5% iodine solution. The testis is grasped with two fingers and the scrotum is cut with a scalpel. It is then removed and the transitional ligament is cut.

The dissected tissue is pushed towards the abdominal wall. A ligature (silk thread or catgut) is applied to the freed area of the spermatic cord, and then a dissection is performed. After this, the tissues affected by the surgical intervention are treated with an antiseptic and glycerin.

Castration of a piglet is performed using a special tool.

Broken spermatic cord

Only the smallest piglets under 2 weeks of age are castrated in this way. The principle of the method is to pull the axially twisted spermatic cord from the abdominal wall after the transitional ligament is cut and the tissue is displaced towards the inguinal ring.

This is done with the right hand, and at this time the spermatic cord is grasped with the left hand through the skin of the scrotum and fixed with Kocher tweezers. After this, it is twisted onto the index finger of the right hand and pulled with force until it breaks. Some operators perform the break using a jerk. The wound is then treated with an antiseptic or antibiotic.

Caring for animals after surgery

At the end of the surgical intervention, the animal is placed in a separate block for a week. First, the cell is cleaned of dirt and washed using alkali. The floor is covered with fresh hay or straw. It should be changed when it gets dirty. It is not recommended to use sawdust at this time to avoid complications.

The postoperative period is dangerous with infections, so piglets need special care.

After castration, the animal may briefly refuse food due to pain. If there are deviations from the normal healing process, you should contact your veterinarian for help.

Important! It is necessary to constantly monitor the well-being of the operated animal. Check the condition of the seams so as not to miss the beginning of a possible inflammatory process.

If the suture at the incision site does not heal for a long time, this may indicate an inflammatory process, peritonitis. It is likely that the wound became infected during castration. Therefore, urgent administration of antibiotics is necessary.

Inspection of sutures and wound surfaces should be done every day.

The piglet is given complete nutrition with easily digestible feed. As a preventive measure for the occurrence of peritonitis, novocaine blockades according to Mosin are performed.

when choosing a piglet for castration, you must keep in mind that at least 2 weeks must pass after vaccination, and after surgery you should not vaccinate for the same period;
if the piglet is sick, then castration can be carried out no earlier than 2 weeks after recovery;
the castration procedure in small piglets causes fewer complications and is easier to carry out;
If the piglet's testicle has not descended into the scrotum before the operation, then veterinarians perform a laparotomy and then the testicle is removed.

Castration of Vietnamese piglets is carried out in the same ways as operations of representatives of other breeds. The video shows the process of home castration of a piglet: