OK to castrate at 6 months??

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tinkerbelle

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Just wondering if anyone has any experience with having their colts cut early. My boy is turning into a right handful, he's aggressive in certain situations and really does not care what his punishment is when he's been naughty, he just looks at me as if to 'you done now mum?'.

I think part of the problem is that the only company he's had is with his mum, obviously at 6 months i'm getting ready to wean him but the other dilema I have is that if he's to stay at current yard there is only 2 fillys for him to go with so yard owner wants him cut, and i really do think this is the best solution so that he doesn't have the stress of going to a new yard etc.etc.

So, yes, back to the main point, is 6 months to early to castrate? when I spoke to vet a fair few months ago she said dont do it till a year due to growth etc. But he's becoming a tad too bulshy......

Thank You for getting to the end of this lengthy post :)
 
I spoke to my vet today about getting our boy gelded and he advises spring when there is no chance of a frost. I have also had this advice from others. I know this is not what you asked but I thought it was relevant.
 
I've known foals to be castrated at six months - but preferably with a break before or after weaning so they don't have too much to cope with in one go which would knock them back.

Ideally you would castrate in spring and autumn to miss the flies and cold conditions. Presumably a castration in cold conditions may knock them back more than normal.

If he is becoming a handful why don't you have a chat with your vet about it and see what they suggest. It may be possible to use weather forecasts to predict a milder spell and perhaps he could be done then??
 
As long as both testicles have dropped he can be castrated. As far as leaving him so it doesnt affect his growth, i dont agree, whatever height he's programmed to be he'll reach it. The frost is the only thing i'd worry about but having said that, i know someone that got so fed up with one of their colts being so rough they had him castrated one christmas eve, not the best christmas present but he survived with no problems.
 
Thank You all for the advice :) He's having his first vaccinations middle of next week so will have a chat with the vet then and fingers crossed for a nice dry warm spell (For so many reasons!) so I can hopefully stop his temper tantrums and get my mare back in action.
 
Can I ask why people avoid castrating in winter with frosts??? Is it just the aneasthetic sweating/cold or because of the mud etc?? or something more scientific???? I ask because when I got one of my colts at 5 months old, I needed him cut asap, I settled him in first and then a month later when he was 6 months the vet castrated him, his teticles were only small bless him and the incisions were tiny, they healed very quickly with no swelling or discharge, I had him in a barn with another colt, so he could move around (reducing swelling) without walking in mud. I found this alot easier than when I had my other boy done one autumn when we had a sudden warm flush and the flies showed their heads again!!!.......

But with regard to the OP, 6 months always used to be the normal age for castration, I've heard of some people doing it as young as I think 5 weeks!!! (which IMO is too young!) but definately agree not to coincide the weaning and the castration, whichever way you do it, ensure there is enough time between events for the foal to settle or the wound to heal.

Good luck.
 
Ideally he will need to have had two tetanus injections, a month apart before he's gelded. However, they can give an anti-toxin injection at the time of the op if he's not covered for tet, but this is quite an expensive add-on to the procedure. My colt will be done next month (he's a Welsh D and is 7 months on Weds) as we have a mare tenant and I want him to be done and healed before she starts her seasons. Vet had a feel at his first vaccination in November and told me that his testicles were on their way, also added that once sedated, they drop down anyway (as long as they've started dropping in the first place!)
 
I always have my colt foals gelded between 4 and 5 months old. It doesn't affect their growth. If you are going to do yours now then i would do it before you wean him or a month after as it will knock him about if you do it very soon after weaning. Much better while still on mum.
The reason for not gelding when its very frosty is because frost getting into open wounds would be very painful!
 
We had our 'firstborn' done on the 6 month anniversary of his birth, we had been made to wait by our vet with his dad who was a total dangerous g**- and which is why we ended up with a foal in the first place, wasn't going through THAT again!! He was still on mum, who stood alongside him the whole time, and had absolutely no problems at all. As long as both testicles have dropped it will be fine. As for the no frost/no flies, they can be done but need to be kept in, which isn't ideal as moving around helps to prevent swelling, but his age would mean much smaller incisions so faster healing all being well. Would highly recommend getting in some Arnica to help with swelling too.
 
Thank You, you've all confirmed my plans. By the time i speak to the vet next week and get everything sorted hopefully it will middle of February and double hopefully we will have slightly warmer weather (wishful thinking i know!) and then yes leave it minimum a month and then take mummy away. Does mean he's weaned a little later than expected but hey ho can't have it all.

Also anyone have any good telling off tips for horrible colties?
 
I had my colt castrated at 6 months for similar reasons, unfortunatley it hasn't really helped with the biting but it has stopped him mounting his mum!

My vet said the reason they don't like to do it when it is cold/frosty is that they need turnout to get the swelling down and lots of people can't turn out in the snow etc.
 
Some of the vets round me prefer to do them very early and will prefer to castrtate when they are still on thier mothers, for me personally i would wait a little while til there is less forst so that they can go out and move around but in a clean environment and before there are no flies about, my boy is due his next jab soon and i will ask the vet if he is happy cutting him then but if not i will wait til late feb time
 
I have the colts done as soon as their nuts drop, while they're still on mum.
Had one done at 4 months this year. He was behaving like a little monkey and already mounting mum, jumping on my precious filly. Now he's a gelding-monkey, just as playful but without the dominance. The filly's boss now and since she is the lightweight and he is a very heavy boy I feel happier that he's no longer climbing all over her !
 
i believe the frost can retard healing, if you have a cut on your finger for example it seems to take longer to heal in frosty weather.
the last one i had cut was at 10 months he stayed indoors for three days after with antibiotics it was completely healed and i don't think he even noticed, very good vet. he has continued to grow very well and had a lovely rounded cresty neck, the eventual growth of the the horse is pre-determined genetically.
 
This is really interesting and has helped me a lot - thank you.

YO has asked when I am getting my colt cut due to some mare owners getting twitchy due to a gelded colt smashing the fence enabling my lad to have a bit of a run about, but he just went to check in on his mum. He's 6 months now and not colty at all, weaned him in the run up to Christmas as the stable was just not big enough for both of them to stay in together.

I've had a good grope about but can't really feel anything there. will get the vet to come and do jabs and see what she thinks.
 
Am in almost exactly the same position as you Ladylina83. Havent weaned my boy yet though as only have to fillies to do so (was hoping another little colt may have been magiced out of thin air) so need him castrated first anyway. But yes its getting a bit snug in the stable and i doubt my poor mare has a had a lie down in months! so really need to get the ball rolling on this one (or quite literally balls rolling :) )

A few 'neurotic' liveries have started panicing - one who is quite influencial on the yard has had my 2 moved away from her little mare, apparantly she thinks that Charlie can clear the high post and rail and electric fence!

What I can gather from all the help on this post and the people and vets I've spoken to is if your foal lives out as part of a herd and you only really have a field no stable etc then wait till spring but I'm fortunate enough to be at a lovely equestrian centre where they have very close rested paddocks that i'm sure i can pinch, a onsite vet and operating theatre, stables and lots of people around to help. So aslong as there vaccinated and its not too freezing and frosty then get them chopped :)
 
She kicked out at him and got me in the process on the upper arm - as I am 5'9 that pretty high i'm pretty sure she meant it, I made a split second decision as I was on my lunch break, I had a reserved stable ready so littl'un and I bambied across the ice shut the top door and it was done ! They spent a week apart but are out again now as the snow cleared up and have been in separate fields that are adjacent to each other split mares and geldings, he is socialising really well and is in no way dominant, calls to his mums sometimes but she competely ignores him. I was really worried about weaning but over all I am pleased with how it went.

Going to use the frost line with YO and have it done when I get back from holiday mid Feb does any one have any idea of cost for gelding ??
 
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