I have a Nigerian dwarf buckling a little past three months and was hoping to sell as a possible breeding stud. However, I think I will have better luck selling him as a wether. My question: does anyone know a ballpark figure for a vet to castrate him? And at his age what would be the most likely method used? Thanks to all!

-- D Lynn Black (moonspinner@bluefrognet.net), October 09, 2001

Answers

You can very easily castrate a 3 month old with elasatator bands yourself. Yes a vet can surgically castrate also, here it would be about 50$ plus the office visit, and it is mostly for the anesthetic. Do not go to a vet and let them put the guy to sleep, a local anesthetic is all that is needed. With fly season over and tetanus vaccinations, banding could eaisly be done at a breeders for 5 $. This is definetly an easy management that even 4H kids learn to do. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), October 09, 2001.

What a vet charges will be up to the individual vet. It could cost as much as $10 or $100. I would do it myself with a elastrator without anesthetic-They will react probably worse to a injection there than to the band. If you are going to raise goats it is a cheap good investment. Any goat or sheep breeder probably have one that they will do your buckling if you go to them for little or nothing. I do not know where you live but if you were around here I would.

-- Terry Lipe (elipe@fidnet.com), October 09, 2001.

I took my first buck kid to the vet for castrating and disbudding--he died from the anesthesia--it broke my heart--I've never gotten another as sweet and loveable as him either. I don't want to scare you, I just wish someone had warned me beforehand. Just make sure if you use a vet they are experienced in dealing with goats, many are NOT.

-- Sharon (spangenberg@hovac.com), October 09, 2001.

A friend and I did a Nigerian buckling at three and a half months. Same situation as you. We did it just the way we do with the younger ones. Slice, pull, snip, etc. She has a tool that crushes the blood vessels and cuts the vas on the distal side of the crushed area. Very little blood, but the buckling just hated it and walked quite stiffly for a few days. She has an elastrator too, and we talked about that option. However, she felt it was harder on the kids and infection was more likely, especially given the level of development. My buckling was fully functional. With the slicing method, if it's done properly, with some wound spray on the wound every couple of days, the open wound provides drainage so you don't get abscesses, and the scrotum doesn't have to rot off the way it would with an elastrator. That sounds like infection waiting to happen to me, although I'm sure everyone has their own opinion on this. If you're going to go this route, definitely get someone with a lot of experience. My friend has been raising Nubians for 20 years and did a great job.

-- Laura Rae Jensen (lrjensen@nwlink.com), October 10, 2001.

Lynn, I agree with Vicki about the elastrator. I have used one for years with no ill effects. I do give a tetnus shot to prevent that complication. The band cuts off circulation and the scrotum dries up and falls off. I have never had it "rot off". I had friends with older buck kids that were too big to fit in the elastrator, we took large rubber bands and wrapped them around the top of the scrotum with the same results. The bucklings will walk with stiffness for a day or two.

-- karen in Kansas (kansasgoats@iwon.com), October 10, 2001.

Check around before you do this as around here male nigerians are the rage, as mini lamanchas are very popular.

-- kathy h (ckhart55@earthlink.net), October 10, 2001.