05-02-2016, 09:17 PM
It's generally recommended to wait at least three months before wethering a goat. This give the urinary tract more time to develop, because blockage by urinary calculi is one of the leading causes of death in wethers. Some people recommend waiting as long as 5-7 months to wether them.
If you get him cut, make sure the vet uses sutures to close the blood vessels and not just crimps like they use on horses. While you can get away with crimping, there is a much higher risk of bleed-out and it can happen super fast (ask Charlie Horse about that one).
Some people have good luck with banding horns and others do not. It is a long process and is quite painful for the first few days no matter how you do it. Many goats become skittish and head-shy because of this. The horns will be sensitive for the entire 1-2 months as the bands chew through. They will ooze throughout the process so it is best done when fly season is over. Long story short: if you want a hornless goat your best bet is to buy one that is disbudded or naturally polled. Others may feel differently, but I personally would never consider banding a goat's horns unless he actually proved dangerous with them. It may be necessary in some cases, but it is not very nice.
If you get him cut, make sure the vet uses sutures to close the blood vessels and not just crimps like they use on horses. While you can get away with crimping, there is a much higher risk of bleed-out and it can happen super fast (ask Charlie Horse about that one).
Some people have good luck with banding horns and others do not. It is a long process and is quite painful for the first few days no matter how you do it. Many goats become skittish and head-shy because of this. The horns will be sensitive for the entire 1-2 months as the bands chew through. They will ooze throughout the process so it is best done when fly season is over. Long story short: if you want a hornless goat your best bet is to buy one that is disbudded or naturally polled. Others may feel differently, but I personally would never consider banding a goat's horns unless he actually proved dangerous with them. It may be necessary in some cases, but it is not very nice.