2017 - Volume #41, Issue #6, Page #17
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Zip Bandit Makes Castration Quick, Easy
“We’ve used them on bulls from 250 to 800 lbs.,” says Brian Kuperus, Zip Bandit.
“It takes about 4 weeks to work on smaller animals. Perhaps because of the weight, the testicles of larger cattle take 2 1/2 to 3 weeks to drop.”
Kuperus credits his wife for the original idea. The couple raised a handful of cattle for her to practice on with her sorting horse. Some bull calves needed castrating.
“She said, ‘Why don’t we use a zip tie?’” recalls Kuperus. “I explained that you needed a strip of rubber attached to the zip tie to pull tight so it would cut off circulation and slowly cut through the tissue.”
They quickly realized such a device would work and spent the next several years perfecting it and now have a patent pending. The Zip Bandit can best be described as a heavy-duty zip tie that is broken near the head. A length of rubber tubing is fastened to both ends of the breaks.
The Zip Bandit lead is passed around the scrotum and fed through the head. As it is pulled tight, the rubber stretches around the scrotum.
“We just started to market it in August and sold several hundred in the first month,” says Kuperus. “We’ve had a 100 percent success rate with cattle.”
When he showed the device to his local vet, the ease of use impressed him. He says his customers appreciate not having to buy a tool to apply the bands.
“Tools can cost from $30 to $300,” says Kuperus. “With the Zip Bandit, you can get as few as 10 for $30 to try out.
The Zip Bandit is available direct from the company in larger quantities as well. A packet of 25 is priced at $56, and a packet of 50 is priced at $125.
See the Zip Bandit being put to work at FARMSHOW.com.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Zip Bandit, 2510 22nd St., Hopkins, Mich. 49328 (ph 269 680-5414; info@zipbandit.com; www.zipbandit.com).
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