# Banding bucklings



## FloatnRockRanch (Feb 7, 2015)

From what I have read it seems most people who band do so around 8-12 weeks. But how long can you actually wait to band before you can;t band and have to have a vet castrate? That just seems gruesome to me and would prefer to band. Trying to make a decision on whether to sell these boys or keep for meat. If we sell, then I would want to be able to band them and sell as wethers. If we keep for meat, then I see no reason to band them. How long can we take to make up our minds????? :laugh:


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

As long as the band fits on, you can band.


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## sassykat6181 (Nov 28, 2012)

I did a buckling at 6 mos (nigerian) he's now a pet wether. I did have to order a bigger bander so theyd fit. 
I would band for meat also, I personally don't want strong flavored buck meat


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## ShireRidgeFarm (Sep 24, 2015)

I'm not sure if this translates into your breed of goat, but from my researching I found that most people recommend banding Nigerian Dwarf bucklings at 4 weeks old, and that's what I did this year. Some people like to wait longer to try and reduce the risk of urinary stones, but at 4 weeks my Nigerian bucklings were just starting to exhibit buck-like behavior, so I'm happy I banded at that age. 

My understanding is that once a buck starts getting stinky and all that, banding him won't stop it. You've got to catch it before they start to mature.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

ShireRidgeFarm said:


> My understanding is that once a buck starts getting stinky and all that, banding him won't stop it. You've got to catch it before they start to mature.


This is not true all. Pack goat kids are rarely castrated before 6 months old. I have had several castrated at this age and older. 
Jeter was used for a breeding buck for 2 years before being done, he is just like any wether that was done at a week old. Pup was done at 8 months and he is not smelly or act like a buck in any way.


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

The loss of the testes will stop most of the bucky behaviors and traits. They may still try to breed does and act mildly bucky if neutered later after they reached maturity. I've banded standard bucklings up to 6 months of age, I just have to jiggle the testes in the band one at a time.


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## AncientBlue (Dec 21, 2014)

The one thing I wish I knew when I did it was the length of time involved. It took Billy's 1 month to the day to completely fall off. He was in pain for a couple days and not himself for a good week. I have no problem with banding and will probably end up doing it again at some point. It's just nice to know what you're getting into. :book:


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## ShireRidgeFarm (Sep 24, 2015)

goathiker said:


> This is not true all. Pack goat kids are rarely castrated before 6 months old. I have had several castrated at this age and older.
> Jeter was used for a breeding buck for 2 years before being done, he is just like any wether that was done at a week old. Pup was done at 8 months and he is not smelly or act like a buck in any way.


 Ok, good to know.


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## FloatnRockRanch (Feb 7, 2015)

So if we do end up banding late we will need to get a bander that is extra big....to use large bands.

Does anyone know of a good source for a large bander? May as well invest know rather than last minute. How do you tell what size the bands are when purchasing?


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

We've always had success with the regular size green bands if it is done by three months. We did have a couple who were single kids that did not fit, even when trying to stuff in one side at a time. :brickwall:


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## CritterCarnival (Sep 18, 2013)

I just got the bigger metal bander from Tractor Supply for doing older kids, the little blue plastic one is OK for smaller kids. Use the green rubber rings for both tools.


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## FloatnRockRanch (Feb 7, 2015)

nancy d said:


> We've always had success with the regular size green bands if it is done by three months. We did have a couple who were single kids that did not fit, even when trying to stuff in one side at a time. :brickwall:


yes indeed single BIG kids. The reason for this post...had no idea those sacs could get so big at such an early age.


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## FloatnRockRanch (Feb 7, 2015)

CritterCarnival said:


> I just got the bigger metal bander from Tractor Supply for doing older kids, the little blue plastic one is OK for smaller kids. Use the green rubber rings for both tools.


Perfect! Thanks for the info.


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## wndngrvr (Dec 10, 2011)

We stopped banding and went with a good quality burdizzo. They seem to have far less pain with this - except with the initial crushing. There is no wound to be concerned with afterwards. It amazes me that after the crushing they seem not to have any problems at all.


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## scubacoz (Nov 7, 2013)

What is a burdizzo? What does it do? Can you send a picture of one?


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