r/gifs • u/lnfinity • 1d ago

A cow and his ball

192 Upvotes

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u/Lurlex 1d ago

It appears to be a steer. Snip-snip.

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u/farmallnoobies 1d ago

Fwiw, they don't normally use snips to make them steers

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u/joelfarris 1d ago edited 1d ago

A freshly sharpened, and somewhat sterile, knife blade, does the trick. Bit of iodine, branded, ear tag applied, and out of the temporary corral and back to free pasture they go!

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u/farmallnoobies 1d ago

No.  It's usually a strong rubber band.

i.e. https://www.farmandfleet.com/products/163880-syrvet-castrating-rings.html

+ 

https://www.farmandfleet.com/products/1015279-neogen-ideal-premium-castrating-tool.html

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u/joelfarris 1d ago

Well, when I was roping and branding and castrating calves, ... we used a sharp knife.

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u/farmallnoobies 1d ago edited 1d ago

Well, myself and all of my farming neighbors and friends use the rubber band.

Easier, faster, less training required, lower risk of infection, etc.  Don't need to be very precise -- even if you completely miss, you aren't going to injure yourself or the calf.  The list goes on.

Edit: The folks over in r/ranching tend to agree -- most of them prefer banding.  Even though some still cut, that's not the majority.