# Is it safe to remove a castrating band early?



## Kaolru (Apr 20, 2011)

We just came home with an almost seven week old pygmy goat buckling. We did not want him banded this early as we've been told it is not healthy, and he was just banded either yesterday or the day before. I want to know if it is safe to remove the band or if it will cause some sort of harm. He is in so much pain he doesn't want to stand up.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

7 weeks is old enough to band

No I wouldnt remove the band -- we did that once and the kid got sick. Its becoming dead tissue and gangrene can set in if you remove the band


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## Kaolru (Apr 20, 2011)

I know you "can" band at any age, it's just recommended that you wait until three months due to the urethra not developing fully.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

thats just a theory - and the theory also is that the urethra shrinks back once the testosterone is gone.

I had a buck with UC and my friend had a buck with UC. It happens even if you dont band them. To me banding young isnt the only factor.

I band my boys at 7-8 weeks of age. Not had a buyer come back to me saying they got UC if they are on the diet I recommend.


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## Kaolru (Apr 20, 2011)

Alright. Thank you very much for your quick reply. It is greatly appreciated.
Another question I have is I noticed he headbutts a LOT. Like...you walk around him and he's constantly butting your legs. I would like this to stop now so it doesn't become a problem when he's bigger. How do I correct it?


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## lissablack (Nov 30, 2009)

I have a four year old wether who has never had a UC problem who was banded at 1 week old. 

I have been inching up the age when I band them, this year it was 5 weeks, and that is the oldest I have ever done it. My vet, who is a goat expert, said he didn't want to do it older than two weeks. My first kids were two bucks and I had trouble deciding which one to band. If it was now I would keep them both. But it was then, and I had to choose really early. That wether never had any problem either. 

So this is a really variable thing. I had one wether who I thought was getting a problem, and I now put ammonium chloride in a tiny amount in their water. After I did that he was fine until he went in the freezer last summer. 

I can tell you for sure the older they are the harder it is for them. It won't get any easier.

Jan


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Taking a band off once it's on is only asking for trouble, as Stacey said, the bloodflow to the testes is already compromised, taking it off can cause gangrene.
I band at 6-7 weeks and always have, and have neber had any one call and say they lost their pet to UC.

As far as the butting, thats something he was taught before you got him, use a spray bottle or a squirt gun and when he does it, give him a good shot.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

I band at 6-8 weeks old. It's a good time to band and we've never had a problem doing it that way. I also would recommend leaving the band on as the others have said. 
As for the head butting, you can flick his nose right when he starts doing that... if you dont' want him to do it...usually that works. It might be cute now, but when he's grown it will become very annoying.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I agree ...don't remove the band early.. that isn't good...


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## klingshirnm (Mar 3, 2011)

I agree with everyone else on the fact that it is too late to remove band. The only time we have ever removed a band was during the banding process, we accidentally got the band a little too low(first year type of thing), but as soon as we released it we cut it off. Now, I know people call us crazy, but we band at 1 week of age. We burn horns, tattoo, and band all at the same time. We have done it this way since we started, and our friend that got my wife started back in 4-h years has done it that way as long as we know. My wife had a whether from him she used in 4-h and he lived till I believe 14 years old. We had to put him down due to other reasons. The key is a proper diet with any male.


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## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

We banded our bucklings at 7 weeks of age and had not problems. I say leave the band on.


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## alex43567 (Feb 27, 2011)

I usually wait until 8-10 weeks, just because its my opinion that they seem to grow a little better that way.
But once they're banded--the deed is done. I haven't seen problems with my goats, but we once had the vet come out and band a large bull calf and the band broke about a day later.....NOT a pretty sight! The vet had to come back out, re-band above where the broken band was, and we had to put him on massive amounts of antibiotics. The poor guy's scrotum was sooo swollen, and ....well I will stop there. It was bad.

Besides flicking him on the nose, you could try either a fly swatter or squirt gun--it works with my dog.


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

Like klingshirnm we band at 1week. That is what my vet likes to do get it all done at once. I also have a wether that was banded at 1 week and he is 4yrs old now no problems.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

Freedom star you goats must be huge at a week old! I can harly even see the scrotum and mine are over a week old. Many times they seen fully distended at a week old either. I've seen some born larger but they seem to be the rare ones.


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

Well we have only had one boy born here and he was big. The vet had no problem banding him. :shocked: My vet said whenever he can he likes to do it this young with the horns being done at the same visit.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Wow...he must have been a big boy!


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## Heather72 (Jun 3, 2018)

Help my male goat was acidenly banded and its been almost 2 days would it be safe to remove the band please help as the owner lives bnb in a different state


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## Heather72 (Jun 3, 2018)

He's supposed to be my broader goat to my female now I am.at a loss and very upset please help before it's to late


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## New-goat-mom (May 21, 2017)

It's already too late. Please DO NOT remove that band. How was he accidentally banded?


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Once banded, you cannot remove the band. It will release toxins into his blood stream. Even if he survives, he will be sterile. The only thing I can suggest is to repeat the breeding next year and hope you get another good buck!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I do agree and am very sorry.


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