Castrating

[tbarry2185]

We are going to try to breed our two 2 year old fainting does next season. Question I have what is everyone's preferred way to castrate a buckling if someone wants a whether? I know everyone doesn't have vets do it cause would cost to much. What ways work what doesn't? What works best? What's easiest? What's safest?

 

[SkyWarrior]

We are going to try to breed our two 2 year old fainting does next season. Question I have what is everyone's preferred way to castrate a buckling if someone wants a whether? I know everyone doesn't have vets do it cause would cost to much. What ways work what doesn't? What works best? What's easiest? What's safest?

I band mine. A lot of folks here band. I don't know anyone who uses the type that crimps the cords, but I've heard that they can be effective if done properly. However it's hard to do if you haven't done it and you're more likely to not get the cords crimped properly if you don't know what you're doing. Don't know who uses surgery techniques here. I heard of one guy in my area who PAID big money to a vet to have 7 bucks neutered. I think it ran him more than $500 all told.

Problem with banding is that you simply must wait until the buckling is about 3 months old or risk urinary problems. Some folks believe it is inhumane, but in my experience, the bucklings don't notice at all. The problem with banding is that if the buckling is too small, you can get part of the nipple in the band (you do not want that!).

 

[OneFineAcre]

We castrate ours. We do it ourselves because my wife has a lot of experience doing castrations with pigs. She worked at the Swine Education Unit at N.C. State University for a number of years.

There is a video on You Tube of a lady doing a goat herself, and a veterinarian doing it.

 

[DonnaBelle]

Get some bands for goats, mine are green, with a hand held bander that the band slips over.

Have your husband or a strong friend pick the goat up by the hind feet. His front feet are on the ground and his testicles are right in front of your face.

I squirt some strong iodine on him first, slip the stretched out band over his testicles. Grab them, make sure you have both of the little balls in your fingers, slip the band off the bander onto the goat. You will see he has two small nipples about 3/4" from his testicles. No reason at all to get near them.

The band is on, no nipples near, set him back down, he's good to go. Cost is next to nothing after you get your bander ($15) at a farm store.

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

DonnaBelle

 

[tbarry2185]

How old do they have to be to band? Is this the most popular way?

 

[AshleyFishy]

I band at about 3 to 6 months. It is easy and they just don't notice it after your done.

 

[elevan]

Banding shouldn't be done any younger than 8 weeks old to allow the urethral process to mature the longer you can wait the better, so 3-6 months is best.

We have always banded here too.

 

[lovinglife]

We are getting to fly season, would that be an issue with banding? Seems like it would be better to band but I am new to this part of goat raising.

 

[SkyWarrior]

We are getting to fly season, would that be an issue with banding? Seems like it would be better to band but I am new to this part of goat raising.

No issue. With banding you don't cut anything so the flies don't get into it. And what elevan says is right. Not younger than 8 weeks. 3 months is optimal, although I had a boy goat who was so "well endowed" the bander almost didn't fit! We managed by slipping through one testicle at a time.

 

[OneFineAcre]

We are getting to fly season, would that be an issue with banding? Seems like it would be better to band but I am new to this part of goat raising.

No issue. With banding you don't cut anything so the flies don't get into it. And what elevan says is right. Not younger than 8 weeks. 3 months is optimal, although I had a boy goat who was so "well endowed" the bander almost didn't fit! We managed by slipping through one testicle at a time.

Yeah, I don't so much agree with that. Their testicles die and rot off of them. Less issue with infection with actually cutting them if you douse with iodine.

There have been a number of threads on here about banding. I know most on here do that. Personally, I think it's easier on the breeder than it is on the animal. Most people are squimish about cutting especially without sedation.

But, just as many are squimish about disbudding. The thing I hate the most is tatooing.