After a lot of research, I found the internet's general consensus on when to band to be at 4 weeks of age. But now, after having my pet wether go through urinary stones (miserable!), I'm going to wait until at least 8 weeks to band.

 

I wait 10-12 weeks. I would wait even longer, if I could, but that's as late as I can go because I have no way to separate my bucklings from the does. So I need to band them before they can breed my girls.

Waiting allows the urinary tract to develop more fully and lessens the possibility of Urinari calculi stones - which can be quite painful (and possibly deadly) for your boy.

 

If they are going for meat, 4-8 weeks is fine, they will be butchered at around 7 months anyhow. If keeping for long term, the longer you wait, the better. 12-16 weeks (3-4 months old) would be good.

 

Well most of my kids are 8 weeks if I know there is no chance to sell them as a buck. If I think they might sell as a buck I band at 14 weeks. Anything over that time I have a very hard time getting them to fit threw the band. What I've always heard for a pet is not before 8 weeks and basically wait as long as you can

 

Can I ask what banding tool those of you that wait until 12-16 weeks are using? We waited until 8 weeks once and couldn't fit the band on - he ended up staying a buck. I have a sheep/goat bander, but I'm wondering if I need to get a cow-sized one or something?

 

I use just the smaller bander, I'm sure the same as your talking about, the ones with green bands. I just open the bander and put at the bottom of the sack and pinch the skin and pull the bander up, sometimes I only get one testicle and have to work the second one down but I get them. I also have, the Callicrate bander that we use on the big calfs but it is super expensive, I think it was $300 and something and the bands are about $1 each but it does anything from what the green bands can do all the way up to a very very mature bull.

 

Just pulled the bander out and measured - the largest part of the opening is 1 3/4". The bands are green. It's been years, but if I remember correctly, the bands would have stretched more, but we just could not get everything through that little hole in the tool. I'm pretty squeamish about it, so we may have given up too soon.

 

Yeah sometimes you have to really man handle them lol just don't think of it as that part of the body and go for it. I mean don't really wrench on them or anything but you can use decent force on them

 

The tribander does open wider and the bands cut quicker. I've gone to surgical castration at this point as each pack boy I keep get a full heart/lung check up before training and adding castration doesn't cost much more at the same time.

 

The tribander does open wider and the bands cut quicker.

That's interesting - up to 400 lbs... I may pick up one of those.

 

Lots of info out there on banding...I have a 7 month old buckling I am thinking of banding - if my March herd of kids gives me a polled buckling I will not need him. Although I can easily sell him as a buck, I am reluctant to as it only adds to the competition for selling kids in my area, so I would weather him.

Any one else band a goat that age? He would be 8 months at that point...

 

I go at 3-4 weeks, I also give them their cd/t shot at that time. Then two weeks later they get their cd/t booster and cocci prevention.

 

Lots of info out there on banding...

Any one else band a goat that age? He would be 8 months at that point...

I banded an Alpine/Saanen buckling at 6 months. He was really large, had an excellent dairy conformation (why I hesitated really) and an awesome personality (why I decided to band him, to be a companion animal for a pony, rather than a dairy sire)

No problems, he laid down for about a day then was up like nothing had happened. I used a regular green band on him, and yes, I had to manipulate both testicles through.

I still wonder if I made the right decision, but once you band, C'est La Vie...