I was wondering if anyone has any experience castrating a 600lb pig ? The vet wants a fortune , and I will get nothing if I go to sell him .He was raised without chemicals and would prefer to eat him .I am told that once castrated you can wait several months and all of the strong flavor will be gone .Any ideas will be helpfull .

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), July 25, 2000

Answers

Patty:

Wow! I hope you are not going to try this on your own.

My local vet won't castrate a horse, mule or donkey when the weather is hot. Says it will kill them. Don't know about hogs.

Here is basically what my reference books say on the subject.

Restrain the boar with a noose through his upper jaw which he cannot bite through. Tie the head as close as possible to a stout pole (remember you are dealing with a large animal). If possible get the boar on his back as it will make access to the scrocum easier. Thoroughly wash the scrotum area with a sanitizing wash and rinse. Now comes the fun part. Press the testicles as far towards the end of the scrotum as possible. Using a sterilzed, new, single edge razor blade you can either make two cuts on top of the testicles or one cut between them. Make it longer than the length of the testicles to facilitate drainage. Now work your way to the testicles. They will be covered with a membrane. When you can get it loose firmly grab the testicle (and membrane cover) and pull sharply backwards to snap the cord, sealing it. Once both testicles have been removed spray the area thoroughly with a fly spray, such as the purple stuff sold at the co-op. If you can get him distracted, such as feeding, continue to spray the area every other day or so.

The incision should heal in 3-4 weeks and by that time the offensive order from boar meat should be gone. Use your judgement on how long you want to wait before processing.

I have castrated probably 200 young bulls. I don't envy you trying to do a boar.

-- Ken Scharabok (scharabo@aol.com), July 25, 2000.

Wouldn't it be alot easier if you had a shot to give him that would make him willingly drop to the ground? I think alot of unnecessary trouble & pain to the big guy will follow if this is NOT done as quickly as possible. Plus, if it's not done properly, you're only looking for infection to settle in. Another good reason to get a shot from the vet. Otherwise, take a movie of this! Sounds like the next type of rodeo. GOOD LUCK !!!

-- Pat (pmikul@pcpros.net), July 25, 2000.

be very careful knocking him out they react often to the point of death. make sure he does not have a hernia{sp} his guts will come out the cut. we have ours done around 20lbs. and it is quick and they seem fine, we almost lost one this year because of a hernia you must hold them upside down and sew inside . i think i would call a vet because of its size they can bite realy hard and holding him still would be a job. our vet charges 30 for the visit and 10 for the cut i try to have a list of every thing else that needs to be done shots, tests what ever

-- renee oneill (oneillsr@home.com), July 25, 2000.

I talked with the vet he wants $125.00 .Thats a bit much .We've done babies and I have done alot of surgery with a vet .I also know about there problem with drugs .How about a beer or two ?

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), July 25, 2000.

Patty:

I only weigh about 200 pounds, give or take a bit. A 12-pack wouldn't put me on the ground. Agree with the comment about trying to knock them out with drugs, it is dangerous. My vet won't even do it with cows. Only choice I see is physical restraint and physical man-handling. Have fun.

-- Ken Scharabok (scharabo@aol.com), July 25, 2000.

Patty, let us know when you attempt this endeavor - you'll need all the prayer we can muster!!!! And, Ken, thank you for the play-by-play - it drew groans of discomfort from my better half (probably remembering his V-day!) ;-)! Good Luck, Patty - are you SURE $125 is too much? The hospital bills could be more than that if you don't tie that 600 lb. monster to a large tree!!!

-- Judi (ddecaro@snet.net), July 25, 2000.

Sorry I was so ignorant about sedatives for larger hogs. We had a vet out here a few weeks ago and had to down a 1,200 lb. steer with a shot. Took the maximum amount but the steer was fine. Didn't realize hogs are more sensitive with drugs.

-- Pat (pmikul@pcpros.net), July 25, 2000.

Patty, bet you have all the guys on the list squirming. :) Husband got one of those home made beer kits for Christmas one year, that was nasty! It was so horrible he fed the whole thing to the pig, it was so funny (guess only something we will think is funny) but he was really feeling good! He eventually passed out in his house, but even then I couldn't imagine sneaking up on him and cutting him! Whew! With the amount of fat on a 300 pound hog you will have to use a vet who knows what he/she is doing or you are going to have the chemical binding in the fat and he will never wake-up. Keep us informed as to what you choose to do. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), July 25, 2000.

I don't belive I would do it. First off it is not the right time of year, I think the heat would add to the stress. You are going to probaly have a lot more bleeding than you would have with a younger hog. The incision will have to be quite large to get the testicles out and will probaly need to be stitched and will reguire daily care and I don't belive he will want you near him after the "surgery". The veins are not going to snap off like a young hog and will need to be cut and maybe stiched also. Now for the quality of the meat, you are going to have a lot of FAT. The meat will not be very tender so you will be better off grinding it all up for sausage.

Now for the good news!!! I have eaten several large wild boars (300 - 350lbs) and they were not cut before slaughtering and they made great sausage. I assume they were sexually active since a wild hog of that size is probaly 5-6 years old. I have also slaughtered domestic boars at about 250lbs (were not breeding) I used them for all the normal cuts (chops, roasts, steaks ect...) and did not find the meat "gamey" at all.

Good Luck and keep us informed on the outcome.

-- Mark (deadgoatman@webtv.net), July 25, 2000.

The amish routinely do them at this age without any major problems .You may have to cut the outside of the cord ,but can still pull it to cut off blood supply .If we decide to do it , we will get him tippsy and use a hog box and turn him upside down.If the incision is too large I can always put a stitch or 2 in .Thanks for the info.

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), July 25, 2000.

Patty, I don't have experience, and I don't WANT experience in this. I have played a part with bullocks who've escaped mustering for a while, and got even bigger than this, but that's still a whole different story to pigs. Just a thought - the natural place to do this would be where you could best restrain him, but you really don't want a fairly cunning 600 pound animal with teeth getting shy of the best place to restrain him for butchering, or load him for transport. Is there anything really wrong with say 200 pounds of sausage, heavy on the garlic and chili and assorted herbs if necessary; plus lots of lard separately?

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), July 25, 2000.

We don't eat that much sausage ! He's getting to big for my sows and would rather know he was put down humanely than wonder what happened .I know some of you won't consider castrating him as humane [especially you men haha].

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), July 25, 2000.

I agree with Don.There is not that much money involved, just have him butchered,try the meat if its too strong you can make sasuage............JAY

-- JAY (jay@townsqr.com), July 25, 2000.

Maybe not much money to you , but I could not stand to waste the money or the meat !

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), July 25, 2000.

Assuming for the moment that you've got freezer space (and if you haven't you can dry minced/ ground/ sausage meat - last forever), then how much does dog or cat food cost you (if you've got them)? That could be a fall-back position.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), July 25, 2000.

We have castrated boars this large. We put them in a hog crate and castrate them standing. We slide a two by four under their belly back by their hind legs, so they can't lay down in mid-project.

Don't fool around, decide how you are going to cut him, and get right in there and get done. The more brief the less stress. Keep him in a clean, well bedded pen( preferrably straw ). Sawdust or shavings will get in the wound.

Use common sense and no one needs to get hurt. Plan ahead and leave the kids out of it, so you don't have to watch out for any one's safety but the few needed to help.

If you butchered him while he was still a boar, you would smell it cooking from outside the house and you wouldn't eat it.

-- homestead2 (homestead@monroecty.net), July 25, 2000.

Patty, Don has a point -- meat is really better food for dogs than store-bought dog food.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), July 25, 2000.

All I can say is...ouch! My hubby is cringing in the background as we speak!

I'm not sure I'd take the chance on butchering at this point -- I'm pretty sure there would be no masking the flavour of "boar"!! I'm not sure if castrating him at this point would even take care of it, but I have no experience with that, so I couldn't say.

I think I'd be hiring a professional to do it at this point. Expense or no, I think I wouldn't want to take the risk with that much meat.

-- Tracy (trimmer@westzone.com), July 26, 2000.

--My local vet won't castrate a horse, mule or donkey when the weather is hot. Says it will kill them.--

Having had my vet castrate many of my horses, mules and donkeys, I have to disagree with this comment. Doing the surgery in the summer won't kill them; we don't like summer castrations due to all the flies that will swarm to the wound. It's just more pleasant (castration pleasant??!!! ) for the critter to do it in cool weather.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), July 26, 2000.

You have to be careful with the anesthetic for pigs. I wish I could remember what they give them. You can easily lose them with the wrong one. Castrating a pig that's a few days old without anesthetic is possible. But a hog that old, my friend, could really damage the humans. And I also wonder if with all that fighting (with no anesthetic) if he could bleed to death.

Not a very positive post. Sorry.

I've also heard that when you butcher any critter, the more stress, the worse the meat tastes.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), July 26, 2000.

I thought hogs got castrated when they were little .

-- kelly (kellytree@hotmail.com), July 26, 2000.

Patty:

You mentioned the Amish. Would they be willing to do it for you for say half of the meat when the pig is slaughtered?

-- Ken Scharabok (scharabo@aol.com), July 26, 2000.

Sorry men my mind is made up he is going to loose something you all hold dear to you [maybe more so as you read this ].You all came up with good things to think about .I am going to have a friend come over and help [as hubby sits crossed legged in the corner hoping he's not next !] I wiil use a hog box and maybe a few beers to take the edge off .I'll have mine after the job is done ! I know alot of people who have done this to adult boars , they wait a couple of months then the strong flavor is gone .I'll let you know how it turns out .Some of you might want to keep it in mind that at auction i've seen boars of 300lb go for $5.00

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), July 26, 2000.

Patty;

You're right large boars sell for next to nothing at auctions. We've cut large ones before you just have to be careful. A good point was raised that you need to keep them away from sawdust or shaving because of the possiblity of infection. The last one we did was awhile back but after a couple of months we butchered him and he tasted fine.

No need to waste the meat or sell him for pennies, it will not be easy but it can be done.

Keep us posted!!!!!

Jim Tanner

-- Jim Tanner (taner_jim@hotmail.com), July 26, 2000.

This is just slightly off topic, but surely you all aren't running stock through auction? It is the least amount of money for your product. I am really surprised actually that more of you don't advertize your stock in Countryside. When we were looking for sheep, there was no one from Texas or Louisiana advertised. At least a small ad in misc. animals, to let folks know you raise hogs, goats, chickens etc. How else are we going to find you? Patty this 600 pound hog who has become a problem for you could easily become someone else's best breeding hog. A great profit or trade for you! I have advertized my goats in Countryside for years now, a very good investment. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), July 26, 2000.

I won't send anything of mine to auction ! But I do sometimes buy from auction .I want some say in were my animals go .Even in the private market , there is no market for that size boar .Its easier and more cost effective to keep a smaller one for the season and start over the next .It takes alot to maintain that body weight .It also gets to be to much on the young sows . And the bigger he gets the more danger he posses to us .

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), July 26, 2000.

OK, it's joke time. Seems these two school teachers from Boston would rent the same summer cottage up in Vermont each year. Since it had a small pig yard they would buy a weaned pig from a local farmer, lavously feed it all summer with scraps from the house and trimmings and spoiled fruits, veges, etc. from the place. At the end of the summer they would sell it back to the same farmer. Back in Boston they would tell their friends, "Isn't it wonderful, we have use of the pig all summer and the farmer will still pay us as much as we bought it for."

-- Ken S. (scharabo@aol.com), July 27, 2000.

--Sorry men ... he is going to loose something you all hold dear

Sorry, Patty, but no matter what you may think of us, I'm almost certain that very few of the men on this forum have EVER got THAT enthusiastic about .... oh, never mind.

--i've seen boars of 300lb go for $5.00

Well, golly, that would be about the cheapest dogfood I could imagine.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), July 27, 2000.

LOL, that's a good one Ken! Good luck Patty! Our 300# pigs had plenty of fat on them, I can't imagine a 600# one.

-- Jean (schiszik@tbcnet.com), July 27, 2000.

Can you render the fat into lard and maybe sell it at a farmers' market? No idea what one might use as containers. Any suggestions?

-- Ken S. (scharabo@aol.com), July 27, 2000.

I have plenty of uses for the lard , such as baking and making soap ! I let you know when the deed is done and how it turns out .

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), July 27, 2000.

well the said pig just got loose ! I think he's even bigger than 600lbs ! He needs to go soon ,he's just to big and is starting to be scary.Glad to say he's back in the fence.

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), July 27, 2000.

My Dad was the one everyone in the county called & if they couldn't get him they called the vet as a last resort! My Dad doctored with old time methods/ etc. My Dad castrated every horse/ mule/ etc. in the area---but one thing my Dad did--and ya can all laugh if you want- -he only did it when it was the right sign of the moon!!!! I'm not makeing a joke, either. I'm a Christain --but really my Dad did all his vet work by the signs of the moon. When he was forced into doing work outside the sign he would always say, we could have trouble as this is going out of the right sign--& usually there was trouble. Sonda in Ks.

-- Sonda (sgbruce@birch.net), July 28, 2000.

Patty, please make a new post for the follow up on this story, I tend to not read the same post over and over. I really would like to hear how this turned out. Sounds like your hubby is like mine, anything yucky I have to do. LOL

-- Tina (clia88@newmexico.com), July 31, 2000.

Dear Patty, Curious, what did you do?? We have a 800# 5 year old Large White named Homer. He's rather vicious even though we've had him his entire life. He has these teeth (tusks?) that I swear must be 2 inches long. We've kept him in an electrified pen out at my husbands parents farm, but every time it rains the pig makes a break for it. The problem is that we are moving soon, and my husband wants to bring Homer with us. I called the vet. He does not recomend any dental work, nose ring, or castration. He doesn't feel this will improve Homer's dispostion. My fear is that we have a one year old daughter who will be with in close (2 acre's) proximity to the pig. My husband absolutly refuses to have Homer shot (murdered), any suggestions on untracebale poisons????? Don't get me wrong, I don't want the pig to suffer, but there is no way I'm living within 10 miles of that huge monster. I don't suppose it would be very responsible to turn Homer out into the national forest would it?

-- sherri deshaw (deshawtx@msn.com), March 27, 2001.

thankyou sherri, you just gave me a really BIG giggle. good luck and let us know what you end up doing.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), March 27, 2001.

Get someone to do this who knows what he's doing. You can help. I know you feel like you are doing the most humane thing for this animal, but it would be easy to botch the job and watch him bleed to death. You'll need ear plugs. I recommend shipping him - I've been around hogs all my life and I've never heard of anyone cutting a boar that large. We eat the best ones and ship the maybe's. By the way, the old timers want the sign to be below the knees for castration. The oysters are edible, in fact - that might be the only thing you can eat. Good luck!

-- Paul (hoyt@egyptian.net), March 27, 2001.