Draft goat question

[hoggie]

Does anyone here drive their goats?

I was wondering. If you are going to keep a wether for driving, is it better to leave him and castrate him later (to give him a better chance at growing). Or are the problems involved with the later castration more trouble than the additional growth/strength is worth ?

hoggie

[bluefish]

Some say yes and some say no. Most people who pack with their goats around here castrate them at around 6 months so that the urethra is able to grow to it's full size and so hopefully prevent urinary calculi. I think UC is mostly diet and genetic, but it can't hurt to do everything to help prevent it. However, by that age you usually have to have a vet do it, or maybe find a real experienced goat person to do it for you. If you do them very young, you can do it yourself by various methods. Doing it later, goats are a little touchy with anesthetic and extreme (no anesthetic) pain. Either can possibly kill the goat. However, I've had some cut by the vet at that age and had no problem. My mom has had some that age done by the neighbor guy. Just tie him down, have several people sit on him and cut him. So far all have survived, so I guess you just never know. You can also have problems with infection in younger ones if you're not careful, although that is pretty preventable.

Wow, I got a little wordy there. Hope it is of some help.

[Freeholder]

I've got one pack wether, and I didn't have him castrated until he was about 16 months. (Probably could have done it sooner, though.) The vet didn't charge all that much, only $21, which I thought was worth it. I do the young bucklings myself, but didn't want to tackle Jasper as he already weighed about 175 lbs.

Kathleen