Piglet castration rules
When keeping pigs, it is impossible to do without such manipulations as resection of the pituitary gland. Piglets are neutered at different times. It is a surgical procedure performed by a doctor. However, experienced pig breeders can do without help.
Piglet neutering
Purpose of the procedure
Many novice pig breeders do not know why piglets are neutered. Castration of pigs is an operation to forcefully stop the functionality of the pituitary gland or their complete resection (removal). Do-it-yourself pig castration can be done in several ways, including:
- surgical;
- hormonal;
- chemical;
- radioactive.
At home, piglets are castrated only by surgery. Piglet neutering should be done at an early age. This procedure provokes changes in metabolic processes in the whip's body, which lead to a change in external data in comparison with non-castrated males. Piglets are castrated in order to reduce the production of sex hormones. During puberty, a powerful release of hormones occurs, which leads to undesirable phenomena during feeding:
- the meat of an adult uncastrated boar smells unpleasant;
- Sexual heat in pigs occurs monthly, which leads to overexcitation of individuals of both sexes, as a result of which the pig eats little and weight is lost;
- piglets are castrated to reduce aggressiveness in the future.
Sometimes pigs have health problems that can only be resolved through castration. For example, an inflamed testicle only needs to be removed, otherwise it is simply impossible to cure it. Such an operation is shown for hernia, malignant neoplasms, various pathologies of organ systems. The feasibility of carrying out manipulations to remove the gonads must be confirmed by the doctor, making an accurate diagnosis.
Timing and benefits of manipulation at an early stage of development
Castration of piglets at suckling age is tolerated by animals much better, during this period the risk of complications is minimized. When piglets are castrated at the age of 10 to 45 days, less blood loss is observed. The main advantage is the simplicity of the operation: it is much easier to keep a small piglet than an adult. The main advantages of early castration are:
- immunological stability of individuals after surgery: tissue regeneration occurs faster when the piglets are near the sow and receive additional vitamins from mother's milk;
- it does not require the use of pain relievers;
- changes in hormonal levels in the early stages promotes rapid weight gain, improves the quality of meat.
Piglet neutering at home can be carried out at any age.However, it is important to remember that when fattening boars for meat, it is necessary to emasculate up to six months of age, otherwise the instinct will persist even after the removal of the glands, which will lead to difficulties in keeping individuals of both sexes in one enclosure.
The process of preparing for manipulation
Before neutering piglets, it is necessary to prepare the animals for surgical intervention. In fact, the time of day for the operation is not significant. However, it is better to carry out all manipulations in the morning in order to be able to observe the animals in the postoperative period during daylight hours.
Piglet neutering should not be carried out during the period of organizing preventive measures. This includes vaccination and deworming. Before neutering a piglet, you need to wait 2 weeks after such interventions. Initially, an examination of the genital area is carried out. This procedure helps to reduce the risk of complications in the postoperative phase.
When examining, attention should be paid to the state of the dermis in the genital area. Further, by palpation, the degree of mobility of the vaginal membrane, the volume of the testicles, and the length of the spermatic cord are determined. It is necessary to establish the presence of foreign bodies in the vaginal membrane, such as an omentum, intestines, fluid, all kinds of neoplasms. After you have made sure that everything is in order with the animals, you can proceed to sterilize the necessary surgical instruments:
- abdominal scalpels of various sizes;
- tweezers to stop blood;
- scissors;
- needles;
- tweezers;
- emasculator;
- dressings, suture threads, catgut.
About 15 minutes before the surgery, hands are prepared: nails are cut, the subungual space is treated, and hands are treated with a disinfectant. Hands should be free of cuts. In order not to infect the animals, a mask must be put on the face.
Sex gland removal methods
At this stage, there are different ways of performing a surgical intervention. They are divided into bloodless and bloody. The first method is carried out without interference and disturbance of the dermis. This includes methods of chemical, mechanical and radiation castration.
These methods are used only for large pig farms; in small private farms, they are simply unprofitable for the breeder in material terms. The second method involves surgical intervention by violating the integrity of the dermis. Bloody operations, in turn, are divided into open and closed.
Castration of a boar in a closed way is shown for large adults. With a hernia, surgical intervention is indicated 2 months before slaughter, not earlier, while maintaining a two-week period after deworming. Castration of adult boars requires the presence of several people.
Removal of the sex glands from the cords
To operate on a large boar, good restraint is required. The male must be laid belly up and tied securely. The genital area is cleaned with soapy water. Novocaine 0.5% is used as anesthesia, in some cases sleeping pills are used.
When dissecting the scrotum, it is important not to touch the vaginal film. The testes and the film, along with the skin, are pulled to the side. Then they are rotated 360 °, after which a stitching ligature is applied. The spermatic cord is removed and pulled together with the film, while stepping back from the dressing site 1 cm. To accelerate the regeneration, a healing agent is applied.
With an inguinal hernia, the operation should be carried out as soon as possible. The pig must be fixed with its belly up, lifting the back part. The skin is dissected in the immediate vicinity of the hernial ring, then the intestine is carefully separated from the scrotum.
If you have to do surgery with your own hands for a hernia, you should know that a hernia is a piece of intestine that has broken through part of the muscle tissue and fell into the cavity of the scrotum.The intestinal loop must be pushed back into the belly, and then the spermatic cord with the vaginal film is twisted several times and covered with a stitching ligature. Wounds are treated in the same way as described above.
Removal of the gonads in pigs
For one-month-old piglets, an open castration method is used. It can be used for individuals of all ages. For immobilization, a piglet castration machine is used.
The operated area is exposed by clipping the hairs and wiped with a disinfecting solution. The scrotal dermis and the vaginal film are pulled back and the skin is cut on both sides. The testicle cord is pulled out and a ligature is placed, the gland is cut off below the ligation line. The seams are processed in the same way as the closed method.
Castration of Vietnamese piglets at the age of 10-20 days is carried out by breaking the spermatic cord. The technique of its implementation is similar to the previous method, the pig is also fixed using a machine. The difference is that the spermatic cord is twisted until it comes out completely, or it is cut off in one sharp movement. The wound is disinfected.
Postoperative period
After castration, a piglet needs constant monitoring for the first 4-5 days. Attention should be paid to the general state of health and the rate of skin regeneration.
A separate paddock must be prepared in advance for largish weeds. It is strictly forbidden to use sawdust as bedding: they can provoke infection by clogging up the wounds when the animal lies down. If severe swelling appears in the seam area and the animal does not eat well, you should contact your veterinarian immediately.
Ovariectomy
Pigs are also sometimes castrated in order to shorten the period of their fattening for meat. This operation is called an ovariectomy. The optimal age for the procedure is 4-6 months. Contraindications for surgery are:
- pregnancy;
- estrus;
- infectious diseases.
Before castration, females are kept on a starvation diet for 12 hours, adult gilts - from 16 to 20, and very large individuals - 24 hours. A special machine is used to fix the animal. The hairs in the suboperative area are removed, the place is treated with an alcohol solution of iodine. After dissection of the abdominal cavity, the uterine horns are found and each ovary is removed in turn. Stitches can be removed after 6-7 days.
There is a biological way to castrate females. For three days, injections of 1% platifillin are given. They also practice the use of hormonal drugs. The injection is done once.
Final part
Castration of pigs is necessary to reduce the fattening time and improve the quality indicators of meat. Knurov is castrated without fail. If the male is not neutered, the meat will have an unpleasant odor due to the repeated release of hormones. It is recommended to carry out operations at an early age. After castration, the healing process is much faster in small piglets than in large adults. The main thing is to reliably tie the animal before the operation, for this they use a special device: a machine for castrating piglets. The animals are most often fixed belly upwards at an angle of 45 ° C to provide open access to the genital area. A large bellied boar is fixed on a barrel. It is correct to remove both testicles, because with one egg, the male will continue to continue his usual sexual life.
It is worth taking care of the postoperative place for the castrated individual in advance. It is advisable to carry out the first operation at home under the supervision of an experienced doctor in order to prevent complications as a result of one's own inexperience. Castration can be performed using various methods. Surgery is mostly used at home. In general, the type of castration is selected, depending on how many pigs are kept.
In large farms, chemical castration of piglets is used.For small livestock, the use of this method is simply inexpedient from the economic point of view. After the operation, it is necessary to constantly monitor the health of the pets in order to prevent complications. It is important to remember that operations can be performed only 2 weeks after deworming and vaccination.
Care in the postoperative period is especially important for adults, because small ones regenerate much faster, because they are breastfed. If the pig eats normally, looks healthy and active, you can transfer it to a common pen. In order to learn more about the procedure for removing the sex glands and organs, you can watch the training video.