How to Castrate a Calf with a Knife

How to castrate a calf with a knife.
I have castrated thousands of calves this way and have never had any losses, complications or stags. It is a quick, reliable and easy way to do the job. I have seen the same job done using rings and have noticed that they are less reliable as they can break causing stags or can cause infection.
The blade of the knife is important. It should be a scalpel shaped blade. 3 bladed pocket knifes usually have the correct blade. Make sure the blade is professionally sharpened to a razor edge and kept sharp on a leather strop regularly while castrating calves. You could also use a scalpel that takes replacement blades.

[@brianhyatt4926]

Mate I have always used the same technique & have never lost a calf. A hell of a lot quicker than using rings with less discomfort. Good on you for posting the video.

[@candisbrendel7396]

now that was fast and (NEAR) BLOODLESS!! We think it is much better than the rubber band way!

[@jessenotz8692]

I don't know a whole lot about cattle just getting into it. That was the best video I have seen. Thanks

[@cschmidgall24]

I am impressed with how fast you do this. I am new to castrating bulls but I have done hogs in a similar fashion. Don't listen to all the cry babies. They watch these videos and complain but have no problem going to the store and buying a steak. They have no idea the amount of knowledge and work goes into raising that animal so they can just go to the store. Job WELL DONE!!

[@oilersridersbluejays]

Most city people have no idea how their food is produced but would be completely lost if it wasn’t for us farmers. Fuck ‘em I say.

[@phoebe969]

Interesting and informative video, I've never seen a castration so fast! I'm a first year vet student and have been taught a slightly different method. Do you use any sort of pain killer, or post-surgery disinfectant? Just, however quick you may be I can imagine it still being very painful. (not bashing, just wondering). I see you've said in previous comments that you don't get any cases of infection, which is very impressive. Thanks for the upload, helpful to see different methods in practice!

[@JeffyLube]

When I did it, we typically held them down and after cutting we sprayed some iodine in there to keep it from getting infected

[@scarz1951]

Damn! That first slice got a flinch out of me.

[@strartur]

Thanks for this informative video 👌

[@drchestnuts]

That's a good video ! I've seen a similar method where the bottom of the purse is sliced off and both testes pulled through the one slit. Would you say your method of two slits is better for drainage ? For the people who think that looks painful , watch two bulls headbutting each other for hours.

[@renarddubois940]

drchestnuts headbutting each other like they are supposed to do to establish who's the better bull for breeding*

[@drchestnuts]

Clovis H Just like down the pub !

[@oilersridersbluejays]

I use just one slit too but my method is practically the exact same. The two slit approach is interesting though.

[@vetmed4144]

I'm a 3rd veterinary student, so l have learned quite a lot about this subject. Analgesia is necessary even though the procedure is being done so quickly. Local lidocaine blocks should be done. I'm not saying what is being done here is wrong, and this is effective especially at that speed, but as veterinarians, we should be doing better.

[@vetmed4144]

I'm also amazed you haven't had any complications seeing that you provide no hemostasis.

[@TruthSeeker-ee8tj]

New to cattle but have had horses for 50 years, using sedation for gelding. We have left our bulls intact so far and the meat has been excellent. But had to get some neighbours cows for company to keep the bulls in the field and not getting in with our cows. We were considering banding as a more humane choice but see people have issues with it reading comments here. We would be interested in lidocaine - do you use topical or injection for castration purposes? We are not in North America so they likely have never used lidocaine here, but we have a good vet who has worked on cattle ranches in Brazil and would be open to doing what we want.

[@firefighterhorseman7960]

The best instructional video ever

[@AlecL]

Thanks :)

[@oilersridersbluejays]

It really is. I use pretty much the same method but I hate cameras and I really hate trying to explain things to people and prefer to work alone or with a small group of people I trust. Takes a good person to have patience and show their methods.

[@juansorto3968]

Excellent job my friend. Very clean and precise cut.

[@juanchodepat]

Congratulations. Very Fast Method, Here in Argentina we do it similar, but with a bigger knife.

[@oilersridersbluejays]

Awesome job! Don’t waste the oysters though. Throw them in a plastic bag. Wash them off and roll them in flour and fry in butter and garlic and add salt and pepper. They’re awesome!

[@hicoteo]

That's fast! So you nick the tissue near the nut and then slide it down with the knife and cut the vein as far back as possible? Do you have to put anything on to prevent infection or flies laying eggs? What is the infection rate? We don't bother with castration here but I may give it a try so I can keep my males longer. I see you toss the nut aside. Don't you guys eat them down there?

[@AlecL]

There is a "skin" around the ball. 99% of the time you cut it with the knife when you cut the ball sack. If the skin isn't cut you just give it a little nick and the ball will pop out. I should have mentioned that in the video. Once the ball is out you cut away the skin like I showed in the picture. You mustn't cut the blood supply there as they could die from blood loss. You might be able to see in the video that I cut the skin off by cutting away from the blood supply. Stab in then cut away (if that makes any sense). You MUST keep the knife in disinfectant and you MUST rinse your hands in the disinfectant before every calf. The key to no infection is to do the job as fast as possible and by handling as least as possible. You should try not to touch anything that stays with the calf. I have never seen any infection by cutting calves like this. I have done a lot of calves too. Never had a problem with them getting fly blown here. We do get a lot of flies but have never had any trouble with them. The balls go to the working dogs. It's like a delicacy to them haha. I have tried them but we kill our own meat and I think that tastes better.

[@lakota123max]

great job sir!! wish they had ppl that skilled over here in Canada to do horses...they do an awful job here sometimes...thank u for posting the video =)

[@oilersridersbluejays]

I’m in Saskatchewan. Never did horses personally but dad did on occasion. We’re mostly grain farmers but I run about 40 pairs as well. Don’t have horses anymore (at least for now) but cut almost all of my bull calves myself. Too bad my dad wasn’t still alive or I would recommend him. That man was very skilled with a knife. I personally wouldn’t be comfortable to do horses myself just because I never have.

[@eadecamp]

Good that you're quick.

[@tybrown1519]

It is sad that when i tell people im 12 and i can castrate calves thay look at me and wonder.. .. what is castrating

[@bobjoe7296]

Okay Legitimate Question So Don't Mistake Me For The Other People Here. How Long Will The Calf Be In Pain After This If Any. I Work On A Farm And Just Want To Make Sure I Don't Hurt The Calf After They Do This.

[@AlecL]

They aren't in any noticeable pain afterwards. I'm sure they would feel something for a few days until it all heals up. But when they're walked back to their paddocks they don't appear to be any different.

[@johnbarrott9857]

thats a hell of a skill,and they say hunters are crazy!.

[@horseygurl143]

Nice job, however I'd add a little fly spray or something to help the little babies.

[@laurogarza4953]

Much appreciated details. Well done.

[@strartur]

What's the age of those calves?

[@amphonekeosengthong610]

very good and very quick

[@joshfa5526]

Brutal AF.

[@laurenkelly127]

Great video! Thank you! We usually band ours but this year, we want to just cut. Have you ever had issues with infection?

[@AlecL]

Thanks for the good comments. No, I have never had any problems with infection unless I cut myself. Haha. No, I really have never had any problems with any calves with infection. I think the most important things to prevent infection is to wash your hands before every calf in disinfectant, use a razor sharp knife, being fast and handling the least amount of flesh (or whatever it's called) that stays in the calf. Also make a large enough cut so the blood can drain out easily. If you're worried about infection you can wash the area with disinfectant. Like I said, I haven't had any problems. But I don't cut a calf if I have crap on my hands either. Make sure your hands are fairly clean. Hope that helps :)

[@AbsoluteMonarchist]

I had an anal infection once and had to go on anti-biotics.

[@johnkelly2860]

Stop with the dicks mate

[@oilersridersbluejays]

I’m mostly a grain farmer but got back into cattle last year running only 60 pairs but that and 1800 acres of crop land keeps me pretty busy as I do pretty much everything myself with a friend or the wife occasionally helping as my kids are too young to do too much yet. A neighbour was talking me into banding. When we last had cattle, dad refused to do anything but cut them and I still only cut them. I debated a Newberry Knife but I find having a sharp scalpel works the best. Quick, easy, and practically as painless and bloodless as you can get. And, you get a tasty treat after your done branding, tagging, and bagging. Or maybe we are just a different bunch up here in Saskatchewan lol.

[@Rocketninja200]

Nice work! I'll send you some rain from here in Texas.

[@eddiespencer1]

No suture or cauterising? What do you do to prevent infection?

[@AlecL]

Edward Spencer washing hands in disinfectant and keeping the knife in it too. Also being quick so you're handling the nuts as little as possible helps too I think

[@eddiespencer1]

I'd assume they would, at least, wash the calf before cutting him, though. I'd assume a little warm-water bath would help the balls drop, as well.

[@aubreyaub]

Edward Spencer4 months agoNo suture or cauterising? What do you do to prevent infection? Suck the poison out, how else?

[@Enigmaking]

Ooh,so that's what that little blade on my stockman is for.

[@JamesWhite-tg4kw]

What kind of disinfectant do you use to clean your knife between each calf

[@princessq62]

Surely this is painful to the animal regardless of how quick it done, isn't it? And what about the healing? They just go back out with the other bulls when no worries of wound care...OUCH is all I can say in the end.

[@janelleropp6988]

What happens if you cut the blood supply too low? Can you lose a calf from it bleeding too much? Or if it’s bleeding a lot is it more prone to infection?

[@AlecL]

I’ve never seen it happen but supposedly can lose a calf to blood loss. I think you’d have to cut pretty close to the ball though for it to happen. Some bleeding is good to help clear away bacteria

[@TheGingersnap33]

I find that hard to be so. Animal Husbandry & care cattle is not a game or act of chance.Growing grass & raising beef allows very little tolerance. You are a master craftsman and that indicate a degree of virtue in how you handled this task. Baby calves & Rain are always in Texas. Thank You Sir

[@timgallagher1886]

I’m a newbie. When you make the first cut on top of the ball what are you cutting the fat? Then the second cut is the Fatty part and then the 3rd cut is the blood supply? That’s the raider part and you cut that all the way to bottom? Thank you this is a great video

[@AlecL]

Tim Gallagher first cut is the scrotum. Most of the time you’ll cut the scrotum and the thin skin around the ball in one go. I’m not sure what that thin skin is called haha. It’s important that the blood supply isn’t cut off too short. Sorry it’s a bit hard to explain for me over text, I would like to make another video on the topic but KZbin banned me for a short while for posting this video - I had to write to them to get my account back on.

[@timgallagher1886]

Lol why would the ever ban you for that??? Animal rights activists I’m guessing? Thank you for the video I’m gonna give this a shot. You’re a pro at this and you make it look way too easy!! Thank you and maybe I’ll have one of my kids take a video and show you how it turned out.

[@AlecL]

Tim Gallagher there were two videos at once. One was the skinning, gutting and quartering a cow. I think it would have been a heap of activists at once reporting both videos. Now you have to be over 18 to see both videos and KZbin won’t pay me for them like they do with the others haha.

[@murrellwinter]

What kind of knife do you use?

[@AlecL]

The castrating blade on a three bladed stock knife. The one in the video is a Taylor's Eye Witness

[@bigjockknew2574]

Why do calves need to be castrated? Why can't they just mate with cows and produce more calves and make you more money? I don't think this is cruel. This is very humane as it's over so fast.

[@bspence5151]

calfs are castrated so there mind is on feed. castrating them makes them gain easier than a non castrated bull. plus if castrated you can keep in the same pasture with serviceable bulls.

[@aryanson]

B Spence Plus bulls tend to be aggressive and the testosterone makes the meat taste bad as well as makes a smell when cooking An olds bull and a young bull are lying on a hill overlooking a herd of cows. The young bull jumps op and says to the old bull, quick! lets run down there and we can screw a cow! The old bull gets up slowly, and replies to the young bull, hold on a minute, let's walk down there and we can screw them all.

[@ednarohler8649]

B Spence My castrated calves gain weight a little faster than bulls. I use my steers for my freezer, not for breeding. I don't have cows. I've been raising my own meat for a little over 22 years. I found that if you don't feed your steers corn, their meat comes out about 98% lean. That is good for those of us who can't have the fat and cholesterol.. And it is very tender.

[@YrpSharrieff]

Thanks for watching -.-

[@OwOrphanedSRCE]

takes a real man to do this shit dude

[@temithabtemariamtesfaghabe2765]

I'm how do you prevent infection because that's a big open wound

[@MindNumbingInc]

Throw a mixture of a cup of vinegar and half a cup of salt. Let it settle and dissolve and slowly pour to the wound and rub within. Just kidding, sick jokes aside. They might use hydrogen peroxide and other medical cleansing items to make sure the calf doesn't wind up infected. While many complain about the methods used on life stock, doing research and seeing instructional videos. It's no different than what doctors do in the medical field, but just for animals.

[@ZiggyDoom]

@ 1:51 That Bull is clearly saying "HEEEEEELP!!!!!" and @ 1:54 The other Bulls are saying "NOOOOOOO!!!"

[@luketipping4721]

My balls were aching SO much watching this! Poor poor thing! 😱

[@jeffreymbelu9718]

Your never going to be the same again

[@poodidi9]

just got 2small jersey calfs given to me yesterday,have to denacker them both, got no thingymajek to hold them down, can a mate hold one down while i attempt to cut?

[@AlecL]

Yeah you can do that. Its alot easier to have 2 mates help do it. One on the head, one on the leg. When you get the calf on its side the fella on the head sits on the ground with one leg over the calf's neck. He then holds its head up to his chest, with its nose pointing to the sky, and holds tight. The other fella holds the top back leg similar to in the video. How big are the calves?

[@poodidi9]

Alec Luther not very big,mate said about 4months both reg and very tame,but i dont want them Roaming the paddock as bulls when they get older,bloke nxt door got 40 head and well i heard alot of stories broken fences gates lol,anyways this is a top video on u tube, cheers mate

[@ardalanvf]

So what about the pain you inflict on them? it doesn't matter?!

[@ade5393]

Does this method work with humans too?

[@Dinoraptor101]

Yes but... Wait what?

[@ade5393]

@@Dinoraptor101 too late, already found out...the hard way

[@teamestaves1333]

thanks for the tips, this is my first year they allowed me to to all the castrating. Before that I only branded and cut the ears. Do you cook'em after? Na kidding.

[@AlecL]

Haha, well actually I have tried them a couple of times. Not something I would eat often but not as bad as you think. The thought is the bad thing haha. It is a delicacy to the dogs haha.

[@AbsoluteMonarchist]

Great video thanks for sharing. I think it's great that we're helping animals explore the fluidity of their gender identity and not labelling them with patriarchal terms.

[@aryanson]

Alec L Also known as Rocky Mountain oysters

[@ednarohler8649]

Alec L I've eaten some large ones. You bread them and fry them up just like chicken nuggets. Taste wonderful and full of protein. Mmmm.

[@oilersridersbluejays]

In Saskatchewan we always eat them if we cut them. Never banded and frankly probably never would. Some neighbours do but I would say the majority cut. We always save the oysters. They’re an amazing treat.

[@redfirewoodstand3808]

The old original way is still best. This is what we do. More humane than banding and I hate the uncertainty cord clamps like the burdizzo

[@wtfwe5966]

Hey mate what is the take down thing you have there called?

[@AlecL]

Its called a Morrissey calf cradle.

[@xradelox]

I don’t understand how this is sterile. Even though you wash your hands and the knife, you’re not washing the outer skin of the testicles and you’re touching it and cutting it and then touching and cutting the inner tissue. Also, even though it’s quick, it’s still cruel to do this without numbing. But I guess when people view animals as things for their use as opposed to creatures that feel pain, they just want to “get the job done” without any care for the animal. Even a localized anesthetic would help. Sheesh.

[@angelfambro3117]

Oh trust me when I say I was already a finicky meat eater and if I didn't have to entrust others to do my shopping I already would be!

[@Bens359pete]

Thats a pro!

[@Jxkilla]

I just about threw up haha omg thats bad. I remember helping my grandfather do it as a kid and i thought i remember him using a tool to do it.

[@kaidenhang908]

Does it hurt?

[@AlecL]

I didn’t feel a thing

[@untilitookanarrow]

There is no way in fuck I could do that god I would throw up everywhere.

[@i.f.uprising2309]

Turning would be bulls into European men.

[@ismailtopa3671]

I'm here to look at snowflake kids who thinks we live in a magical world.

[@morenareyna6365]

Awesome job, but the pain misery be horrendously awful!

[@zapthycat]

Doesn't hurt them hardly at all. It's all forgotten in a few minutes. Animals are built differently than people :)

[@morenareyna6365]

You think? Are you like a veterinarian? Good explication though!

[@AlecL]

Consuelo Sandoval They seem to suffer a lot less than using rings. They don't seem to go through a lot of pain as its over so fast.

[@ednarohler8649]

Alec L I've used small rubber rings for my small bulls. They only feel pressure for a little while. You should see lambs when you put those rings on their tails to dock them. Only pressure but they act like they've been stepped on by their mothers. LOL

[@morenareyna6365]

Edna Rohler lol!

[@aaronwilkinson8963]

Ouch😮

[@jessiejackson3096]

Damn

[@angelfambro3117]

Krystal Dunaway So this is necessary and painless you say? To each his own but it looks pretty dam painful to me! Smdh

[@AlecL]

It's not painless but not as painful as other ways on KZbin. And less painful than rings.

[@angelfambro3117]

Personally I don't agree with this personal technique as well as many of the you tube videos circulating. Imagine if you turned the situation around and someone so cruel castrated you then said it was painless and necessary. That's the only point I'm trying to get at. Animals have souls and deserve our love and compassion.

[@AlecL]

+angel Fambro it is necessary. Bulls don't taste near as good as steers and steers are much easier to handle. No one ever said it was painless.

[@flyingtigre1]

Have you ever noticed that meat taste better after they have been cut. Funny i can still tell the difference after butchering cattle over 30 years ago. Do you have balls for soup? Or sell to the Vietnamese market. They are worth obey there. especially fresh ones. good eating too...

[@sajidshamshad11]

yup tastes great. we call it cutACut in our region. heart liver lungs and testicles all minced to perfection. ummm yummy

[@henrycagle7827]

+Sajid Shamshad i like liver if its still moving. Medium rear plz. Never try'd heart or tongue. Have you had bull frogs? I hear that good too? Not sure about my cowboy buddies….lol

[@calebm3132]

no sutures, just like a cat.

[@angelfambro3117]

Alec, so um please do tell me why this is necessary and how painless it is? Would you even be daring enough to say the same if you were on the receiving end of this? Please do tell. . I'm all ears.. Is it necessary because you feel they have no soul and are just at the lowest end of the food chain?

[@AlecL]

I have already said in the comments to you why this is necessary. Cattle are bred to be eaten. The steak you see at the butchers is from cattle. If they're not castrated they become bulls. If they are castrated they become steers. Steers taste a lot better and are much easier to handle. That's why it's necessary. I don't think I can explain this any simpler.

[@oilersridersbluejays]

Same vegan loser still whining about things she doesn't understand.

[@kimberlybrewster2110]

I really don't think this is right no pain med, cruel

[@oilersridersbluejays]

Well, that's like, your opinion man.

[@russellandres2777]

Welcome to womanhood

[@dafuqmr13]

bruhhh LMAO

[@angelfambro3117]

I see Alec so it just fits into the human demand and supply to feed you meet then. How unfortunate cause this utterly churns my tummy so it inspires me to become Vegan. So sorry you feel they should be mistreated in this manner to satisfy your pallete.

[@AlecL]

Become vegan then 😑

[@oilersridersbluejays]

Loser.

[@jessenotz8692]

Than you should be looking up vegan recipes. He did the video in a professional manner. Maybe plants have souls? Now what are you going to eat.