# Too "big" for banding?



## PurpleToad (Feb 14, 2016)

So yesterday I got in touch with a breeder that's just down the road from me (almost literally!!) and ended up buying two Myotonic goats. While I was talking to the breeder/seller I'd mentioned that we were going to band the goats so they'd be withers because we have ZERO reason right now to keep intact males on the property. These guys will end up being more the "standard" size versus the mini that we already had but right now everyone's around the same size so hopefully we can get the pecking order situated...back to my question. She told me that her vet (who is a younger, newer, sort of fresh out of vet school vet) told her that the boys were "too big" to be banded.

Now the two boys were born March 4 and March 10 (so they're two going on three months or so) and everything I've read online has said that it's best to band between four and six months if you can let them go that long. Has anyone ever heard this before? Or is it more of a recent notion that the banding is painful and all that? I just want to do what's best for the two new guys and I do need to get them banded or surgically castrated at the right time.


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Totally not true. As long as those nuts still fit in a band, you can band them. Unless your two guys have some extremely large nuts you should have no problems.
One thing the vet might be worried about is the pain. The older the animal gets the tougher the nut and the longer/more it hurts them. And another thing, the vet might have learned about banding calves and apply that to goats. Calves are supposed to be banded between one and three days.


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## PurpleToad (Feb 14, 2016)

Suzanne_Tyler said:


> Totally not true. As long as those nuts still fit in a band, you can band them. Unless your two guys have some extremely large nuts you should have no problems.
> One thing the vet might be worried about is the pain. The older the animal gets the tougher the nut and the longer/more it hurts them. And another thing, the vet might have learned about banding calves and apply that to goats. Calves are supposed to be banded between one and three days.


Well since we learned with our little guys that the bands they use on cattle are the same they use on goats...pretty sure everything will fit. We've got the bander at our house still though it needs to get back to the husband's cousin at some point. I was just wondering because these two guys seem to be about the age that most goat people seem to band? I really haven't had goats long and I know everyone has an opinion. I'm just trying to find out what the best thing to do is.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I'd go ahead and band them.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I agree you will probably have to work one testicle down at a time but if it's a boy I'm attempting to sell as a buck and doesn't sell I had at a month old. I have done 4 months but let me tell you that was some hard work getting them to fit  at 3 month you will probably have to work one down at a time but you'll get it 
As for any issues later in life the only thing I have heard of is after 8 weeks old to help with UC risk. I don't have any pet wethers so can't tell you anything for a fact though :/


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## PurpleToad (Feb 14, 2016)

Jessica84 said:


> I agree you will probably have to work one testicle down at a time but if it's a boy I'm attempting to sell as a buck and doesn't sell I had at a month old. I have done 4 months but let me tell you that was some hard work getting them to fit  at 3 month you will probably have to work one down at a time but you'll get it
> As for any issues later in life the only thing I have heard of is after 8 weeks old to help with UC risk. I don't have any pet wethers so can't tell you anything for a fact though :/


We did our original little guys when they were around three months, I think, but one is a mini-Fainter and one was a Nigerian Dwarf. We did the mini-Fainter then a week later we did the ND because the ND hadn't "dropped" enough according to my husband.lol These two guys are definitely dropped so FINDING the stuff to band won't be hard. I'll make sure to let my husband know. Already told him that we'll need at least one more person to help with the new guys because of their size and I'm not sure I'm strong enough to hold them.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

We just banded our two 4 month olds nigerian boys. .it was a bit of work getting everything through the band..but it worked...i agree some need pain meds for a few days when banded this age..these boys are moving slower.. .be sure to give tetanus antitoxin if they have not had their cd and t and booster


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

One thing I have learned about banding older boys is to put the band as low as you can get it on the sack above the testes. Leave a3/4 inch or more of sack tissue above the band. Doing this it seems to hurt less and everything dries up much quicker.


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## margaret (Aug 30, 2013)

As long as you can get the testicles into the band, go ahead and do it!


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Good to know Jill..we have a few lambs that need done


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