How to Castrate a Piglet
Castration is a process used in the livestock industry and small animal industry to manage breeding and prevent inbreeding. Castration is the process of removing the male testicles, so they have the inability to reproduce. This process may sound painful, but when it is done at a young age and in the proper way, the small animals recover very easily with little pain. In the hog industry, a baby boar is castrated around seven days old. The castration process can look different from one farm to another based on management. There are also different ways to hold the piglet and sometimes differences in the castration process between farms.
Castration Supplies:
· Piglet
· Sharp Castration Scalpel
· Sanitary latex gloves
· Iodine
Castration Steps:
1. Assure that the piglet is a boar.
2. Identify the male piglets and take any necessary records outside of castration.
3. Hold piglet by the back legs, hanging upside down.
4. Pull the testicles up to their rump to expose them and hold their legs together to keep the testicles from falling back down.
5. Take the scalpel and make one incision on the top of each testicle, about half an inch long per incision. This incision should only be made lightly through the skin and membrane and not into the testicle.
6. When the testicle is exposed, squeeze it out of the incision (like squeezing a pimple). You may need to make additional incisions to break through any clear membranes or make the hole larger for the testicle to fit through.
7. When the testicle has been exposed, take hold of the testicle and pull away from the piglet to remove the tubules and cords connecting the testicle.
8. After both testicles and tubes are removed, spray iodine in and on the incision to kill any bacteria or germs.
9. Return the piglet to its proper litter.
10. Observe the piglet daily to assure proper healing takes place after the castration process.
