6 and 8 weeks too old for banding?

[desertshi]

I finally got a bander!! Woot woot! Soooo, is 6 and 8 weeks too old to wether? Hope not! Otherwise I'll be seperating out at 4 months....

[thaiblue12]

No that is the age I normally band mine. Just make sure they are busy eating or someone is holding them for you. Otherwise you may get a nipple in there or one testicle and not the other etc.
I once had a bottle kid thinking I was giving his brother something great that he was not getting so he hit my elbow as I was releasing the band and I only got one in, had to cut it off and start over it is not that easy.

[julieq]

We band a bit later, usually three to four months, after the urinary tract has had a bit more time to develop (to hopefully help keep them from developing calculi later).

[Olivia67]

I try to band much earlier because it is more painful for them the later you band but if you do think you made a mistake you can use a key to remove the band. A lot of people band later because it allows the boys urinary tract to grow a little more and it is believed that it may help avoid blockages later on in life. My vet says it doesn't matter but I think that there may be something to that theory.

[Backfourty,MI.]

I also band mine about that same age if I have any that need to be banded. I do find though it is easier for me to sell a buck than a wether, just thought I'd throw that in if your planning on selling them.

[lmrose]

We band our bucks just as soon as the testicles come down. Usually it is by a week or two weeks old. It is less painful and by the time they get back to the barn and nursing they have forgotten the whole ordeal.We have never had any problems banding early. Just have to make sure both testicles are down.We never band later.

[Astrid]

Originally Posted by julieq

We band a bit later, usually three to four months, after the urinary tract has had a bit more time to develop (to hopefully help keep them from developing calculi later).

Yeah, us too. We had the horrendous misfortune to have a weather develop a blocked urinary tract and we had to put him down. It took us a while to realize that his kicking at his stomach and constant bleating meant something was horrendously wrong. I stayed out for hours watching him and realized he hadn't peed all day. By that time, he was down and miserable.

After that, we have banded at a couple months of age. They don't like it at all and sometimes they go down for a couple hours. We always watch very closely when they do that, but we noticed its mostly the sheep who do that. Our goats rarely have had a problem other than to buck around for a few minutes trying to shake whatever has their balls in a vice.

[LaManchaPaul]

A problem with waiting is trying to get those cajonotes inside the band.

Imrose, I've read that if banded too early then the tubings hasn't grown large enough.

[mpete]

With raising pack goats, our wethers are banded at about 4-6 months. There is a vet in one of our local clubs who has done a lot of research and that is what she reccommends. If one of our boys is a bit bigger, we just squish one teste thru and the other one just slides right on through with the other one.
If you are banding goats bound for the market, then it is easier to band 4-6 weeks.

[desertshi]

[QUOTE=LaManchaPaul;4869237]A problem with waiting is trying to get those cajonotes inside the band. QUOTE]

Hahahaha!! Ya, I imagine sooo! Teehee!