How soon can you safely geld your colt??

[clpclop]

My colt is almost 4 weeks old and since I have 2 month old filly and their mom's, I was wondering when it is normally safe to geld him?

I know this is a silly question, but after gelding, do their personalities change like it does in dogs and cats?

 

[kaykay]

imo the sooner you geld the better. that way they never get "stallion like" our last years colt was gelded at 3 months. they do have to have both testicles down

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I have gelded at eight weeks, regularly, I know at least one person on here has done it younger???

The younger the better as far as I am concerned.

:

IF their temperaments change it is for the better- they reach one year old and just at the point where a colt starts to be a real pain a gelding just starts growing up!!

 

[Voodoo]

I agree the younger the better. As long as both testicles are down, I wouldn't do surgery of any kind to find the "hidden" one until the horse was 3 + years old. If they're both down though I say get him gelded and then you won't have to worry about it. It is still early enough in the year the flies won't be too bad for a couple more weeks and he should be pretty healed up by then.

Oops I just reread your post so if he's only 4 weeks now you may have to wait until the flies leave this fall, but he still shouldn't be showing any stud attitude by then. In answer to your other question, yes they change when you have them gelded, if they are old enough to know they are a stud before gelding. You probably won't notice any change on yours if you have him done young, but an older stallion does show a considerable change in attitude when he realizes he is no longer a stallion.

 

[sassy1]

I have had colts gelded at 4 weeks.

I like the idea that they will keep moving around (as they have to go where mum goes at that age) whereas a weanling is more inclined to mope and not move around as much.

It certainly takes the worry out of whether or not you turn them out with the fillies

:

 

[lyn_j]

[SIZE=14pt]We have gelded two at 8 weeks. As long as the testicles are down. They healed much faster than the older ones. In a day they acted like nothing happened. No swelling, incision closed and healed within a few days.[/SIZE]

Lyn