The Wingham Advance-Times, 1984-03-21, Page 44The Farm Edition, Week of March 21, 1984 - 13.
New castration chemical minimizes stress and set backs
With a new method of castrating bull
calves. you can nearly eliminate castration
stress and its associated problems.
That's the idea behind "Chem -Cast". a
new injectable solution to castrate calves
chemically and painlessly.
Developed and marketed by Boehringer
Ingelheim, Chem -Cast is available only
through veterinarisn., "
The patented chemical solution is labeled
for syringe injection into the testes of bull
calves, up to 1S0 pounds. According to
Boehringer Ingelheim, Chem -Cast desensit-
ises and destroys the testes, leaving the calf
castrated within 60 to 90 days after injection.
After castration, no residue remains in the
tissue.
Practically Painless
"It's practically painless," says Dr. Fred
Harris, Boehringer Ingelheim's professional
services veterinarian. '°About the only stress
on the calf is the restraint.
Through a small hypodermic needle,
Chem -Cast is injected from the top into the
middle third of each testicle. Within 24
hours, Harris.says, the solution wil cause a
painless expansion of the testes, testicular
vessels and spermatic cords.
Within two weeks, the enlargement
subsides, and the tissue begins to reabsorb
and reduce in size. Within 60 days, nearly all
the tissue is reabsorbed, leaving only tiny,
hard nodules in the cod. Eventually, those
also will be reabsorbed.
"Except for the absence of any scar, the
animal appears surgically castrated," Harris
says.
Company research and technical people
emphasize that the new procedure does not
cut or crush tissue and avoids the resultant
stress and set backs common to other
methods of castration.
"There's been no completely safe method
of castration until now," Harris says. "It's
been 'Do it and hope'."
1
"Any time you make an open wound, as
you would with surgical castration, there's
stress, bleeding and a chance for infection
from flies or other carriers."
With Burdizzo, or "Clamping" method,
Harris says, "Calves have trauma, bruising
and swelling. They may develop a secondary
infection. Or, you can easily miss the
(spermatic) cords, and still have a bull."
Use of bands to cut scrotum circulation is
the worst method of castration, Harris says.
"Bands cause an open wound for days that
can't heal."
Ag Board protects
beef producers
With the old methods. Harris says.
animals will exhibit pain and stress and will
lose appetite. Weight gains are reduced or
calves lose weight. If infections set in. calves
may require treatment and. in severe cases.
may die.
But death is not the biggest potential loss.
The big losses come frons that area between
death and no problem at all, Harris says.
Shrink and Stress
"Calves will have an infection. but they
won't die: It's an active infection the body
has to overcome, That's where shrink and
stress cause losses in performance.
"1 don't think anyone would say there will
always be complications. but there's always
that economic risk with the other methods."
You can minimize risk by minimizing the
stress of castration into your program to help
maitimize calf performance.
Unless you have an established market for
bull beef, castrate early. "The younger the
better, regardless of the method used,"
Harris says.
Bull calves will wean heavier than steers.
Harris admits, but they'll be discounted at
sale. "Bulls castrated at weaning lose their
advantage, because the stress and set back
is worse at the time. If they sell through
normal market channels, you can't show a
benefit by leaving them intact that long."
The time to castrate is the first or second
time you handle calves, Harris says.
"In beef cattle, there's been a favorable
trend the last 10 years toward 60 day calving
seasons and processing all calves at the end
of the calving season. In some areas, that's
traditional branding time, or when herds go
to summer pasture."
Less Stress
At that time, Harris recommends routine
calf immunizations, castration and , if
necessary, dehorning. At this young age,
calves are easier to handle with less stress
•on you and them. "If you dont have to
dehorn, calves castrated chemically should-
n't be set back at all. If you do dehorn,
Chem -Cast will reduce the total stress
substantially."
Harris says some beef and dairy producers
traditionally tag andcastrate calves at birth
or when the calves are found. Chem -Cast
can be injected then as well, Harris says,
with less stress than other methods.
Harris expects the chemical method to be
accepted in both the beef cow/calf and dairy
calf business... "perhaps perhaps quicker in confin-
ed operations like dairy where producers are
more able to see problems after knife and
Burdizzo castration. And early weaned dairy
calves are more susceptible to stress and
infections.
"But 1 think well managed cow outfits will
use Chem -Cast, to complement a good
health program. It will further reduce risk of
economic loss. If you've ever lost one calf, or
had, some 'poor doers', because of a post
castration problem, you could have paid for a
lot of Chem -Cast."
Two individuals have been appointed and
nine re -appointed to the Live Stock Financial
Protection Board, Ontario Agriculture and
Food Minister Dennis Timbrell has announc-
ed.
The two new members are Dr. Joseph
Foote of Scarborough and Allan Barbour of
Brampton, representing the Toronto Live-
stock Exchange. Each will serve one year
terms.
Re -appointed for three year terms are
Ronald Deeth of Port Perry, Ben Corke, of
Belleville, George McLaughlin of Beaverton
and John McMurchy of Toronto. McLaugh-
lin will serve as the board's chairman and
McMurchy, the representative of the
Ministry of Agriculture and Food, will be
vice-chairman.
Board members re -appointed for two year
terms are Murray Carruthers of Mount
Brydges; Alvin Hall of Sundridge; Harry
Brown of Kitchener, representing the
Canadian Meat Council; Robert Chapple of
Chatham, representing the Ontario Cattle-
men's Association and Carl Hickson of
Lindsay, representing the province's com-
munity sales operators.
Under the Ontario Beef Cattle Financial
Protection Program, the province's oeef
producers are protected as long as they den 1
with licensed buyers. A fee of 20 cent, per
head is charged all parties to a sale, forming
a fund against which claims can be made in
case of payment default.
The 11 -member Live Stock Financial
Protection Board is responsible for collection
of these fees, administering the fund and
approving any claims ntade agairist it.
SUMMER
ON THE FARM
Wluuts
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WILLITS
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