Castrating males is something that has to happen on a homestead. Males are important but you only really need one. Males pee on themselves and they tend to smell and most people don’t want a whole lot of smelling goats. So weathers are a great option for those who simply want to keep goats as pets.
I was actually shaking while banding my first buck. I didn’t want to do it wrong. I’ve never seen it be done in person. I’m learning everything about homesteading through reading and watching videos. Now that I’ve successfully band my first weather, I am relieved at how easy it actually is.
It looks intimating but it really isn’t so hard.
You’ll want to have another person helping you. Laying the goat down against the person holding the some to be weather is the easiest. Goats come down when they lay down on their bottom with their stomach facing you.
I wanted to use two bands and did some research and it is recommended to use two. One works just fine but to be on the safe side try to put two on. I couldn’t get the two bands around my buck his scrotum was too big so we opted to using just one. You want to make sure that you don’t get his nipples and that you get both his testes. If you do it wrong take off band right away and try again.
You’ll need a a metal tool known as the elastrator and thick rubber bands. It is recommended to keep the rubber bands in the fridge when your not using them. Make sure there is no moisture.
You’ll want to band your weathers at least ten to twelve weeks. If you do it too early he has a chance of getting calculi. We waited until he was twelve weeks old.
Once we did it he got up and was eating and walking around like nothing happened. This lasted about ten to fifteen minutes. Then he looked uncomfortable. He would sit down and then get up. It was as if he was trying to find a comfortable spot but couldn’t. Thirty minutes later he was laying down and crying. Most people recommend you band your buck in the evening and we can see why. In the morning the next day he was moving around and eating but he rested more. He was no longer crying and being very dramatic like the previous night. On the second day he acted normal. It started to dry off quickly. I checked on him daily. You have to keep an eye for infections or any bad smells. If it is fly season you will want to check more frequently.
I found the scrotum and band in the field 45 days after banding our buck.
Thank you for reading our blog post.