Neutering your Cockerals so they can live!

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

My beloved Checkers did not survive. Respiratory distress turned into cardiac arrest. Surgeon never even got to approach the testes. However he later viewed them saying they were twice the size of incision + he would have had diff. It was an open between ribs incision through air sac, not laparoscopic. This large VCA hospital had 2 certified anesthesia tech's but could not save my boy. I cannot tell you the self loathing and guilt I have. I will never be the same; a piece of my heart is dead. Could I have prepped more for this? In retrospect, more talk re: the anesthesia aspect. There was much prep for replacing blood if needed as that is often the cause of demise. When I wake up every day he is the first thought in my head. My faith in my decision making is all gone + I will never trust myself again. May the good Lord bless and keep you my sweet Checkers boy. I love you.

I’m so sorry that you lost him!!! My daughter loves our roos also, and it’s so hard to figure out what to do with the excess cockerels. I think that there is often no good answer in a species where 50% of chicks are males, but the ideal ratio of adult males to females is so much lower... You really went above and beyond trying to find a solution that would work for him and for your flock. You made the best decision that you could, with the information that you had available at the time. It’s not your fault that it didn’t work out as hoped for.

 

[BlueGold]

If you neuter him, he can only be used for meat he won’t be able to fertilize eggs. You can de-crow him but the surgery is $150

 

[aart]

If you neuter him, he can only be used for meat he won’t be able to fertilize eggs. You can de-crow him but the surgery is $150

Maybe read the whole thread before replying....story is over.

 

[tripletfeb]

I am very sorry for your loss! I have a question though. Hope this is not too sensitive to the OP. But when people castrate cockerels at an earlier age, I read before 8 weeks, is the success rate better? I would imagine it would have to be, but why? I truly just want to learn, again no offense to the OP. No one wants to lose an animal they love, it's really hard.

 

[Phage]

You know what you could do that would be a heck of a lot cheaper and kinder for the birds? Make a separate coop for the boys. Simple. Or, if they don't get along with each other, then stag tie outs and barrel houses.

Two of my favourite phrases are - "There are worse things than death" and "ANY life is not always better fhan NO life." I use them in reference to humane, respectful harvesting or euthanasia obviously... But I wish more people could wrap their heads around the fact that being in charge of an animal's safety sometimes means making that final decision for the good of the animal.

For the sake of the birds involved, I hope this procedure goes well...

How can "stag tying and living in a barrell" be a better option than either surgery (or death)???????
That is a life or torment.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

I am very sorry for your loss! I have a question though. Hope this is not too sensitive to the OP. But when people castrate cockerels at an earlier age, I read before 8 weeks, is the success rate better? I would imagine it would have to be, but why? I truly just want to learn, again no offense to the OP. No one wants to lose an animal they love, it's really hard.

I think it's because the testes are small (so smaller cuts all around) and undeveloped so there's very little blood flow and the robust growth of a young bird does wonders for bouncing back from surgery. Plus there's simply less tissue to get through and therefore there's less tissue to heal.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

My beloved Checkers did not survive. Respiratory distress turned into cardiac arrest. Surgeon never even got to approach the testes. However he later viewed them saying they were twice the size of incision + he would have had diff. It was an open between ribs incision through air sac, not laparoscopic. This large VCA hospital had 2 certified anesthesia tech's but could not save my boy. I cannot tell you the self loathing and guilt I have. I will never be the same; a piece of my heart is dead. Could I have prepped more for this? In retrospect, more talk re: the anesthesia aspect. There was much prep for replacing blood if needed as that is often the cause of demise. When I wake up every day he is the first thought in my head. My faith in my decision making is all gone + I will never trust myself again. May the good Lord bless and keep you my sweet Checkers boy. I love you.

Sorry to hear that. I hoped it would work out for you.
You took all the precautions you could have.
Without having any first hand information on the actual procedure and events in this case, I'd say the problems were the age of the bird and the inexperience of the surgeon.
Add to that the complex respiratory system of chickens. The lungs are just a small part of it along with air sacs and hollow bones that are all part of the system.
It may be a fairly simple procedure but it takes a lot of practice. I won't dare try it without first practicing on several rooster carcasses

 

[NHMountainMan]

I’m sorry for your loss.

 

[Kusanar]

I am very sorry for your loss! I have a question though. Hope this is not too sensitive to the OP. But when people castrate cockerels at an earlier age, I read before 8 weeks, is the success rate better? I would imagine it would have to be, but why? I truly just want to learn, again no offense to the OP. No one wants to lose an animal they love, it's really hard.

At a younger age the testes aren't as large and are easier to remove. Also, the older they get, the testes start to get softer, so easier to break them off rather than removing them. Plus, most people do not use anesthesia which is one reason that they have better survival rates because birds really don't do well with anesthesia at all. The sucess rate is pretty bad for people who are learning, so that's why a lot of people practice on freshly dead birds (do surgery on the bird you are planning to eat) and then will work on live meat or dual purpose birds so if they do not survive they are still dinner (their planned purpose anyway). This vet had never done this operation before and used anesthesia which is actually what killed this bird.

 

[aart]

This vet had never done this operation before and used anesthesia which is actually what killed this bird.

I was under the impression that this vet did have experience with anesthetizing birds.
Tho still a touchy situation. Hard to know exactly what happened, any surgery has risks.

Vets are not schooled in neutering of roosters in school but my vet (Weymouth Massachusetts) has operated in birds abdomens and pelvises, uses a bird anesthesia machine (not a human one), and has 2 certified anesthesia techs (which are rare).