Partial castration may be beneficial

Press, 22 June 1984, Page 22

Partial castration may be beneficial

Cryptorchidism or partial castration of lambs, may offer farmers a viable method of producing heavyweight lean lambs.

■ This is the advice of a Balclutha-based M.A.F. sheep and beef officer, Mr Graeme Pringle.

He said that information collected in Otago during a M.A.F. lamb production study indicated that cryptorchids grew and graded similarly to ram lambs. Crytorchids, like entire male rams, appeared to produce heavier carcases with lower fat cover than wethers.

In addition, they seemed to avoid the disadvantages which could be encountered in raising ram lambs and in presenting them for slaughter at freezing works. Cryptorchidism could be be carried out by pushing the testes into the body cavity and placing a rubber ring around the empty scrotum.

Overseas research had shown that this method restricted the development of the testes and that the effect of body heat on the testes usually ensured infertility. Limited New Zealand research had confirmed this, Mr Pringle added.

Mr Pringle said that farmers who experienced difficulties in getting ram lambs away by tupping time or who had problems with ewes getting in lamb eargly could find crytochidism a viable alternative. “Some local farmers have already sucessfully adopted the approach of leaving the early-tailing male lambs entire, cryptorchiding the middle to late mob, and wethering the male lambs amongst the tail enders.”

He pointed out that cleaning up and crutching lambs before sending them to slaughter would be far simpler with cryptorchids than ram lambs.

Mr Pringle believed freezing works would find crytorchids an improvement on ram lambs from the point of view of handling and cleaniness. “Waitaki N.Z.R. has been handling these lambs and has been enthusiastic about their advantages over ram lambs. They say that cryptorchids move in the yards freely, are cleaner underneath, and are easier to skin later in the season.”

However, before making lambs cryptorchids, farmers should first check that their local freezing works would accept them, he warned.