How old is too old to castrate a bull calf?

[WI Dan]

I've got two bull calves, born early spring of 2025. About a year old.
We never caught them, so they didn't get tagged or castrated. I'm wondering if it's now 'too late' to do that?

 

[MARK ROBKE]

I've got two bull calves, born early spring of 2025. About a year old.
We never caught them, so they didn't get tagged or castrated. I'm wondering if it's now 'too late' to do that?

What is your intent with them? Making beef? Are they separate from heifers or cows now? They might have bred something. They're probably ready for slaughter now. Mark.

 

[Tony in SD]

Im not sure how old is too old but my experience has been that the older they are the harder it is on them, effort on my part to hold them and get the nut out and to keep them from bleeding. I have never cut a bull over 8 month old. A pair of 8 month old bull nuts are more than a meal.

 

[Phill Tibbetts]

Im not sure how old is too old but my experience has been that the older they are the harder it is on them, effort on my part to hold them and get the nut out and to keep them from bleeding. I have never cut a bull over 8 month old. A pair of 8 month old bull nuts are more than a meal.

I've got two bull calves, born early spring of 2025. About a year old.
We never caught them, so they didn't get tagged or castrated. I'm wondering if it's now 'too late' to do that?

What about the cord crusher method.

 

[WI Dan]

What is your intent with them? Making beef? Are they separate from heifers or cows now? They might have bred something. They're probably ready for slaughter now. Mark.

Beef, yes. We don't have need of a bull at this time.
All run together, year round herd.

 

[WI Dan]

Im not sure how old is too old but my experience has been that the older they are the harder it is on them, effort on my part to hold them and get the nut out and to keep them from bleeding. I have never cut a bull over 8 month old. A pair of 8 month old bull nuts are more than a meal.

That's what I was thinking too.
We use a bander, rubber rings on the other calves. I've never done the knife method.

 

[MARK ROBKE]

Beef, yes. We don't have need of a bull at this time.
All run together, year round herd.

I would just pen them up securely and go ahead and slaughter them. Like I said, they may be breeding their own mothers right now. Mark.

 

[Fixingfarmer]

They get cut here as soon as they are all on the ground under 3 months of age some a couple weeks

Bulls are worth enough at the sale barn right now I wouldn’t consider it much of a loss…somebody will take a chance but not me if they aren’t handleable and prove that in the ring

 

[rrlund]

Just do it before fly season and you'll be alright. I knew a guy who used to buy slightly used service bulls at the sale barn, castrate them and give them a little bit of time to heal up then take them back and sell them as steers.

 

[john in la]

I always used rubber bands by 2 months old. You could stretch it to 3 or 4 months but anything past that and the cons stress weight loss infection start outweighing the pros.

 

[Buckhammer]

I bought a colored "steer" at the auction barn several years ago. He was around 300 pounds when bought. It became apparent when he got to be around 500 pounds that he wasn't truly a "steer" and someone botched the job of nutting him. A local vet came out to look at him to see if there was any "fixing him" It was a female vet and she took one look at his manhood and then looked at me with a twinkle in her eye and proudly proclaimed "I have never seen a set of nuts yet that i couldn't cut." Lets just say that i kept my distance from her needle of sedation and her rope to hold the unfortunate party still.

 

[TN 2N]

I took a 700 pound, 10-month-old bull to the vet a few weeks ago. 10-minute job and after a sluggish three days he's doing fine.

 

[rrlund]

I always used rubber bands by 2 months old. You could stretch it to 3 or 4 months but anything past that and the cons stress weight loss infection start outweighing the pros.

I band all of mine. We start calving in late April, castrate Thanksgiving weekend. They'll be upwards of 800 pounds. We've got one of those super banders. You just have to make darned sure you give them a tetunus shot and that the needle doesn't slip out so you miss them.

 

[dlbuck]

I don't know about the bulls age but, my age is too old to do it.

 

[Tony in SD]

What about the cord crusher method.

That method fell out of favor because of unreliability. The cords have been know to heal back. My High School Ag teacher said there is nothing like counting 2 nuts on the ground to make sure the job is done,

 

[300jk]

I've got two bull calves, born early spring of 2025. About a year old.
We never caught them, so they didn't get tagged or castrated. I'm wondering if it's now 'too late' to do that?

We always caught them young and used the rubber band. Had one once that never got banded and dad wanted to take his man card. He went into a homemade chute and the vet came out and “crimped “ him at about a year old. Seemed to work out.

 

[Steven Allen]

i turn 62 tomorrow, and I think I'm too old to do it.

 

[Vito]

Farmer down the street used to buy about 12 head a year to finish. He had to castrate some on year. He put them in a head chute as they came off the trailer and crimped them. I was lending a hand as needed. I was winching pretty hard when the crimping was going on.

Vito

 

[cjunrau]

I've got two bull calves, born early spring of 2025. About a year old.
We never caught them, so they didn't get tagged or castrated. I'm wondering if it's now 'too late' to do that?

lots of people get them cut out at any age. If for your own eating and would have been penned by themselves they would not likely taste bullish. now I would think they are active and would cut or get the vet to cut. My dad always did it himself but for the cost they go to the vet now. takes about 10 minutes and throw them in the pasture and slaughter in a month or 2.

 

[moresmoke]

Callicrate bander, Burdizzo emasculator, or Vet. Its never too late to castrate a bull.

The crimper isn’t foolproof, but better than not trying.