Age for gelding

[Cecosugi]

I have a donkey vet. I like her and I feel like she is logical and good with my donkeys. Valentino is 6 months old, and I want to have him gelded. The vet said we could do that any time now. Any reason to wait? She said we should watch the weather, and pick a time when it's going to be clear and warmer, and that we would want him to be inside for a period of time, afterwards.

This doesn't seem horribly controversial, but am I pushing it?

The only other issue for me is that I have this brand new baby, and I don't want to have too many needy animals at the same time, if i can help it. So that's the only reason I'm thinking we should wait until summer. Well, and I guess Ariel could get imminently due and then I'd have 2 very young babies.

Valentino New video by Suzy Gibson and New video by Suzy Gibson

 

[LostandFound]

Summer is supposed to be tough because of flies. My colt is 7 or 8 months and getting gelded monday, hopefully.

 

[Cecosugi]

Summer is supposed to be tough because of flies. My colt is 7 or 8 months and getting gelded monday, hopefully.

Okay, flies....that's a great point. So we will wait for acceptable weather, and proceed.

 

[MaryFlora]

That was our vets approach also and gelding took place in the Spring when it was warm but still cool enough to keep the flies away.

 

[DB Minis]

I'm glad to hear your vet is knowledgeable with donkeys - the one thing I know about castrating donkeys is that they are susceptible to bleeding so a good donkey vet will make sure everything is tied up properly and keep an eye on him in the beginning.

I had one of my colts gelded in the summer because I couldn't wait, surprisingly we didn't have too much trouble with flies and he healed quickly. I had much more peace of mind gelding my other colt in late fall though! After gelding I kept the colt separated in a small pen for the first day to keep an eye on him and let him quietly settle in, but he was still near his friend. The next day the boys were back together, rough housing and running around like they do - this helped keep swelling down and they healed wonderfully.

You are definitely juggling a lot of special animals in your herd so always consider your priorities and what will work best for you. Even if you give yourself a couple weeks or a month to let the new baby grow up a little before focusing back on Valentino that can help.

 

[Cecosugi]

I'm glad to hear your vet is knowledgeable with donkeys - the one thing I know about castrating donkeys is that they are susceptible to bleeding so a good donkey vet will make sure everything is tied up properly and keep an eye on him in the beginning.

I had one of my colts gelded in the summer because I couldn't wait, surprisingly we didn't have too much trouble with flies and he healed quickly. I had much more peace of mind gelding my other colt in late fall though! After gelding I kept the colt separated in a small pen for the first day to keep an eye on him and let him quietly settle in, but he was still near his friend. The next day the boys were back together, rough housing and running around like they do - this helped keep swelling down and they healed wonderfully.

You are definitely juggling a lot of special animals in your herd so always consider your priorities and what will work best for you. Even if you give yourself a couple weeks or a month to let the new baby grow up a little before focusing back on Valentino that can help.

Thank you, I love hearing your experience. This is very encouraging.

 

[Standards Equine]

I think we gelded Phillippe pretty close to the same age as Valentino. I like to geld them young. I had a warmblood x arab colt born in 2022. He was born with both gonads dropped and I had him gelded just over 3 months old. I couldn't stand him!!! He was much better after gelding. I talked to one vet who would not consider gelding until the colt was 6 months old. The vet we used said 3 months was safe (I've always gelded at 3 months) as long as both testes were in the scrotum. They were, we got it done and I liked him so much better on the other side!

 

[DB Minis]

You're welcome! Like Standards Equine said, I was looking forward to my boys on the other side of gelding too, which is why I had my first colt done in the early summer. For me the changes were subtle but still noticeable, although if I did it again I would wait for cool weather just for peace of mind. I knew a baby jack for a while and boy was he a handful, I would have loved to see how he was after gelding!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

What about the moon sign? I did mine at that sign. Some swear by it, some pooh pooh. I haven't had a donkey gelded however.

 

[Cecosugi]

I think we gelded Phillippe pretty close to the same age as Valentino. I like to geld them young. I had a warmblood x arab colt born in 2022. He was born with both gonads dropped and I had him gelded just over 3 months old. I couldn't stand him!!! He was much better after gelding. I talked to one vet who would not consider gelding until the colt was 6 months old. The vet we used said 3 months was safe (I've always gelded at 3 months) as long as both testes were in the scrotum. They were, we got it done and I liked him so much better on the other side!

So did you just routinely check to see if they had dropped? I don't want him thinking I'm going to always grab him, so I'm trying to be all casual about it.

Do they ever go back up? Is that a thing?

 

[Cecosugi]

What about the moon sign? I did mine at that sign. Some swear by it, some pooh pooh. I haven't had a donkey gelded however.

Which moon? I'm afraid I don't know anything about the moon signs, except that you're supposed to cut your hair by them.

 

[LostandFound]

So did you just routinely check to see if they had dropped? I don't want him thinking I'm going to always grab him, so I'm trying to be all casual about it.

Do they ever go back up? Is that a thing?

They can actually suck them pretty far up inside themselves. My colt did not get gelded since he had 2, but they could only find one when the vet came out. We are going to try again in the spring.

 

[Cecosugi]

They can actually suck them pretty far up inside themselves. My colt did not get gelded since he had 2, but they could only find one when the vet came out. We are going to try again in the spring.

Okay, this was my worry. Goodness, a wasted trip. Here's hoping that doesn't happen. So far, the weather hasn't been good enough. This week we're supposed to be a whopping 50 degrees, but Ariel (remaining pregnant jenny) is behaving suspiciously, and she has a come-and-go bag going on. And, I have covid. So I'll just wait until our next window.

 

[HersheyMint]

I hope you feel better soon.

 

[LostandFound]

Well, it wasn't a wasted trip for us...There were plenty or rabies and tetanus shots to be given, coggins tests to take, and the wooly beasts got wormed too. If you have the vet out when the baby pops out you can have the vet check for things that need to come off.

 

[Cecosugi]

I hope you feel better soon.

Thank you, I'm doing really well now. I spent the whole day outside or in the barn, so that did my brain so much good! Everyone was so happy to lay in the sun.

 

[Standards Equine]

So did you just routinely check to see if they had dropped? I don't want him thinking I'm going to always grab him, so I'm trying to be all casual about it.

Do they ever go back up? Is that a thing?

Firstly, I regularly handle my stallion's man parts. That should not be an issue for any horse. Mares love a good rub between the udders too! Yes, a regular reach under for a couple of handfuls to see that they're both dropped is my method, or a view during a roll if that works. They can go back up a bit, but that's akin to men when it's cold... Once they're dropped, they're not going to head way back inside.

 

[betwys1]

For what it's worth

 

[Cecosugi]

For what it's worth
View attachment 51167

Thank you! That's very interesting!

I found this information on the Farmer's Almanac web page, but I'm not sure how it relates to the moon calendar.

Five Next Best Days​

These are the next five best days to castrate animals, based on the Moon’s sign.​

• February 8, 2024
• February 9, 2024
• March 7, 2024
• March 8, 2024
• April 3, 2024

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Thank you! That's very interesting!

I found this information on the Farmer's Almanac web page, but I'm not sure how it relates to the moon calendar.

Five Next Best Days​

These are the next five best days to castrate animals, based on the Moon’s sign.​

• February 8, 2024
• February 9, 2024
• March 7, 2024
• March 8, 2024
• April 3, 2024

That's what I was looking for. I did geld all mine by moon sign, but not sure I'm a firm believer. If you decide to geld on those dates, make your appointment because there are true believers out there!