A postal survey of farmers was conducted to determine the main methods
used to castrate calves, and by whom and how they were applied. Among
the 28 per cent of farmers who replied, those who did castrate calves
used one or more of three methods: the Burdizzo was used by 43 per ce
nt of farmers, surgery by 39 per cent, and rubber rings by 32 per cent
, with 10 per cent using more than one method. Calves were castrated a
t all ages from less than one week to over six months, with one third
of them being castrated at an age that legally requires the operation
to be done under local anaesthesia by a veterinary surgeon. Rubber rin
gs were never used by veterinary surgeons, but they carried out 43 per
cent of surgical castrations, which was the method of choice in older
calves. Local anaesthetic was used on 15 per cent of farms, mainly fo
r surgical castrations. Sixty-seven per cent of farmers using the Burd
izzo applied it twice, with the majority correctly applying the second
crush below the first, and 90 per cent used precautions to control in
fection after surgical castration.