162 



FARMER'S CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



the belly so as to prevent searing the skin 

 of the belly. A simple device of this 

 sort is also employed with other animals 

 where the hot iron method of castration 

 is adopted. With old rams the spermatic 

 cord should always be crushed or seared 

 off in order to prevent excessive bleeding. 



Western practice — On the western 

 ranges the usual method of castration 

 would occupy altogether too much time. 

 A much faster but quite safe remedy has 

 been devised. This consists in cutting 

 off the tip of the scrotum with a sharp 

 knife, after which both testicles are 

 pressed out simultaneously by means of 

 the fingers, the testicles grasped in the 

 teeth and pulled out. The operation can 

 be done so fast that it requires four or 

 five men to catch the lambs fast enough, 

 even when confined in a small pen. By 

 this method a single operator can dock 

 two thousand lambs and castrate the ram 

 lambs which usually average one-half of 

 them, within 2V2 or 3 hours. The losses 

 from this method of castration, without 

 the exercise of any further precautions, 

 are so small as to be negligible. Young 

 goats may be castrated in the same 

 manner. 



Preparation for the operation — In 

 castrating animals veterinarians ordina- 

 rily clean the scrotum and surrounding 

 parts carefully in an antiseptic solution 

 and wash the hands and instruments in a 

 similar solution before making any in- 

 cision. This is a wise precaution if the 

 operation is done with the animal ly- 

 ing in the filthy straw of an ordinary 

 yard. The busy farmer, however, seldom 

 has time for these preliminary opera- 

 tions, and as a rule bad results need not 

 be feared when ordinary cleanliness is 

 observed. It is well to have some pow- 

 dered antiseptic, such as iodoform, in a 

 tin box, which may be quickly dusted 

 over the wound after castration. 



Precautions necessary — I n a ll animals 

 the incision in the scrotum should be 

 made lengthwise of the animal, parallel 

 with and close to the middle line of the 

 scrotum. This makes the cut come at 

 the lowest point of the scrotum, from 

 which the testicle may be most easily re- 

 moved. The operator must always be 

 careful, especially in the case of colts, 

 not to pull unnecessarily on the cord. 

 Peritonitis and death may result from 

 such strain. Moreover, the cord must al- 

 ways be cut short enough so that it does 

 not hang through the cut in the scro- 



tum, otherwise it may be caught in the 

 healing wound and develop into a trou- 

 blesome tumor, commonly known as 

 "champignon," which requires another 

 operation for its removal. 



Spaying — The removal of the ovaries 

 of female animals has long been a rather 

 common practice and is done for several 

 reasons. Mares are sometimes vicious 

 during their period of heat and they may 

 therefore be spayed to prevent the dis- 

 agreeable features of heat and various 

 tendencies manifested at such times. 

 Cows may be spayed at the height of 

 their milking period in order to prevent 

 them from going dry, thus securing a 

 continuous flow of milk. According to 

 certain experiments along this line, it 

 appears that cows may be kept giving 

 milk without cessation for two years or 

 more. Heifers which are not desired for 

 breeding purposes may also be spayed to 

 prevent them from becoming pregnant. 

 This is especially common under range 

 conditions. The meat of spayed heifers 

 is sometimes claimed to be better than 

 those not spayed, but the difference is not 

 striking. The chief reason for the spay- 

 ing of young heifers and sows is to in- 

 crease their tendency to fatten rapidly. 

 Likewise with bitches the operation of 

 spaying is often carried out to prevent 

 them from becoming pregnant. This 

 is especially desirable in pet dogs which 

 are worried by males during the period 

 of heat. This trouble is entirely avoided 

 by spaying. 



Effects upon milk flow of cows — As 

 just indicated, the flow of milk in spayed 

 cows may be maintained for a longer 

 period than when this operation is not 

 performed, the period being prolonged 

 from a year and a half to four years. 

 Some writers maintain that fat and 

 other solids of milk increase in quantity 

 after spaying. Careful experiments 

 along this line, however, show that no 

 changes of this sort take place. The 

 animal gradually lays on fat as the milk 

 flow diminishes. The value of spaying 

 is greatest in beef heifers or cows which 

 are not suitable for breeding purposes. 

 When such animals are spayed the opera- 

 tion is of considerable economic impor- 

 tance, especially on western stock ranges. 



Method of operation — Spaying is 

 done somewhat differently in different 

 animals. The danger of infection of 

 the body cavity is greater in mares and 

 bitches than in cows or sows. The ova- 



