Before the kids are allowed to go out with the flock the males should be
castrated. The Turk does not alter the males until they have developed
sexuality and the male horn, _i. e._, the heavy characteristic buck
horn. He then castrates by either removing the testicles, or by twisting
or destroying the spermatic cord. When the latter method is used the
testicles and cord undergo an inflammatory process which destroys the
regenerative power of the animal. The testicles remain in the scrotum
apparently unchanged. The animal thus treated presents to the casual
observer the physical characteristics of a buck. The Turk claims that an
animal treated in this manner is less liable to die than one whose
testicles are removed. This is probably true, as the initial lesion
produced by the operation is very small, and there is less liability of
infection.
The usual method employed in this country is to remove the testicles
before the regenerative power of the animal is developed. This gives the
wether a feminine appearance, and there is comparatively little danger
of death if the operation is properly performed. It will be easiest to
castrate the kids between the age of two and four weeks. The kids
should be driven into a small clean corral, and after undergoing the
operation they should be turned into a large clean enclosure.
The operator stands on the outside of the small corral, and the
assistant catches the kids and turns them belly up before the operator,
onto a board which has been fastened to the fence. A pair of clean
scissors, or a sharp knife, which may be kept in a five per cent.
carbolic acid solution when not in use, serve to cut off the distal end
of the scrotum. The testicles are then seized with the fingers and drawn
out. The operator drops the castrated kid into the large enclosure and
the assistant presents another kid. Two men can operate on sixty kids an
hour. The testicles are slippery and some herders prefer to use the
teeth instead of the fingers to extract the testicles. Under no
circumstances should any unclean thing be put into the scrotum. Death
usually results from infection, and infection from uncleanliness. A
little boracic acid might be sprinkled over the cut surface as an
additional precaution, but this is unnecessary if ordinary cleanliness
is observed. If after a few days the kid's scrotum swells, and does not
discharge, the scrotum should be opened with a clean instrument. Less
than one-half of one per cent. of the kids will die from this
operation.