# Really need input on this (neutering 9 month old buck)



## kids-n-peeps

Not long ago we bought a ND buckling with the intention of using him to breed with our few does and keep most of the unregisterable kids. Our younger does won't be ready to breed for at least a few more months, but we are planning to neuter the buck when he is still fairly young - probably by nine months of age (to be done on our property by our goat vet). He is super sweet, so we'd like to keep him around as a pet.

*So, here's the question . . . for those of you that have neutered/wethered a buck around this age, what were the results?*

Did he eventually stop smelling?
Did he eventually stop urinating on himself?
Was he able to live amongst the does or did he continue to pester them/mount them, etc?


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## Sweet Gum Minis

*Re: Really need input on this*

I've never personally wethered a breeding buck. I would think that most of his bad habits would last anyway. Wethers can act like bucks anyway, but once he starts spraying I'd think he'd keep doing it.

Its also much harder on the buck to be neutered later in life but of course its possible.

I would just sell him if you didn't intend to continue using him as a buck. Just my opinion. Hope it works out if you do keep him and neuter him. Maybe someone on here has had that happen before and can guide you. Good luck!


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## capriola-nd

*Re: Really need input on this*

We wethered a 9-month old Pygmy buck once (probably the smelliest of all goat bucks!) and he did stop urinating on himself and calmed down a lot. As almost all wethers do, he'd mount the does once in a while but nowhere near as often as if he were intact. His smell took a little bit to go away, but it eventually did and was hardly noticeable. His hair was not as full and abundant. He mellowed out A LOT, it was nice and I was very sad to sell him as he'd become so much sweeter.

Since you are catching this fairly early, I bet it will go well. I wouldn't hesitate to wether a mature (2+ year old) buck if it was needed but I would keep or sell as a buck companion and not a companion to the doe herd. Just my personal opinion, maybe it has worked successfully for others but I would think at that age, their habits would be pretty strong.


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## sweetgoats

*Re: Really need input on this*

I am sure he will be fine. I did fix two of my boys at 9 months also. I could not band them because I thought they had to much potential, and I was thinking of adding them to my buck family, but it ended up I did not like them enough to keep them in as buck. Once they were surgically fixed by the vet, they were just like all the other wethers I had and they would of been banded at about 3 months.


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## kids-n-peeps

*Re: Really need input on this*

Thanks for sharing your experiences. It may be something that we have to play by ear to see how things go.


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## silvergramma

congrats on your goats.. i just gave away a black billy that was two years old and he was nipped.. nothing wrong with his personality as a buck,, he was a sweet boy but the older folks wanted him as a pet and I had his sire on my property.. he is calm now.. was before.. and the smell is gone and I just gave them is dam.. both are content..and he has only been there a couple months.. just remember the goat may not smell anymore but anything that he has marked may last longer so if its on your property.. just beware..good luck


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## poppypatch

You should not have any problem. We have wethered bucks at 2-3 years of age who have sired kids. If we don't like something about them as a buck or their kids they get wethered. They look and smell no different than the ones who were wethered as kids within about 3 months after castration. The long buck hair falls out and they get a smooth coat like a wether and most of the beard falls out. 
Some people like to wait at least 1 year to wether anyway because they feel it makes a difference for urinary calculi. We had a lady who used to purchase some of our Toggenburg wethers for driving goats and she always wanted to wait at least a year to wether them. It she was going to put all the work into their training she wanted to make sure she wasn't going to loose them.

Shannon


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## kids-n-peeps

Thanks Shannon and silvergramma for sharing. That gives me some hope :wink:


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## laurahatt214

What are the ways to wether a buck who is around a year old?


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## Epona142

I banded a year old Nigerian. I had to pull each testicle through one at a time..ouch!

But he is now a beloved pet wether who does not exhibit any of the nasty buck behavior, although, like most wethers, he still indicates when his doe companion is in heat.


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## liz

I banded my then 2 year old Pygerian buck...he's 4 years old now and extremely loveable to me, he still doesn't get along with other boys though. And I used a large band.


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## KW Farms

I've banded nigerians at a year old. Never had any issues.


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## freedomstarfarm

I banded a Nigora at 1 year old with regular bands. 
It took a few months for the hormones to go away but he did stop the buckeye behavior. After a sheering he smelled better.


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## laurahatt214

I am thinking about banding our nubian Mark. He was the first goat I fell in love with and he was always going to be a pet while other goats were going to be for breeding and selling. I am wanting to raise and sell boer's and with him being a nubian well you know lol.

Any advise or tips on banding him?


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## liz

If he's older than 2 years I'd suggest having a vet do it but what I did was have my hubby hold Teddy on his side while I sprayed the area well with blu kote and proceeded to get one at a time through the band, avoid the teats and be sure the band is above both testes. Teddy acted like the baby bucks do after banding, layed around and stretched alot and his dropped off after a month. Also...I made sure his CD/T was boostered a week before I did it to protect against tetanus.


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## laurahatt214

Thank you Liz
Mark is just over a year old. How would I know what size band to get and do you have to use that speical tool or is there another way of doing it?


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