Is Banding really inhumane?

[Creamers]

I do not want to do something that is going to cause ongoing - day in and out - pain for the buckling we need to wether.
I just did not feel confident in successfully using the budizzo and bought a bander. . .
Has anyone used both and really felt the former is much more humane?

When you guys band, do they scream and seem in pain for a long time after the band is in place?

What is the ideal age?

I've never needed to wether anything until this point.

[Oat Bucket Farm]

I have banded and no they didn't scream and cry. I have heard that some do cry a bit at first but ours didn't. They can be more quiet and depressed the first day. Other times they just walk a little funny the first hour and then are off acting normal.

As to humane or inhumane, that has the potential to be a can of worms. People opinions can run quite strongly either way. I personally don't think it's inhumane. No more so than cutting them off or crushing the cords. Its just another one of those facts of famlife, like shots and stuff. Not pleasant but something that has to be done.

[LaManchaPaul]

Goats are livestock. Good management programs must be in place to control the reproduction process. Like OatBucket said, 'has to be done.'

[Creamers]

I understand it has to be done - but I want to do it in the least painful way - I just have not seen
And although they are livestock, I would personally not do anything less humane to one of the goats than I would do our dog, cat, etc. That is just me.
I want real opinions so I can decide what is best for our goat, and namely, what makes me feel better. . .lol.
I think cutting off and crushing seems just as bad. . . but since I've not seen any of those done or banding, I really have no idea.

[mygoat]

I've never had a buckling act in serious pain for a long time after banding. The worst I've had is for a few hours after banding they seem a little uncomfortable. Initially they sometimes walk a few steps, lay down, bleat a bit, then get up and walk carefully. Others don't mind at all. Initially, it seems to be uncomfortable for most. Placement of the band is important - make sure you get it down from the stomach wall a little ways and don't get the teats in the band either.

I imagine that burdizzo would be the same, pain wise. No matter how you do it, castration isn't fun for anybody, really.

I've seen goats be 'cut', and that is something I don't like... Maybe it was just because it was an older buckling - 3 months I think - but it was BLOODY, painful for days, and all around terrible. It wasn't my buckling but a friend of mine's... ick!

[muleskinner2]

I use the same bander on my goats, that I use on my dogs. In over forty years I have never had a problem.

[LaManchaPaul]

I've never seen the crushing. I have worked with hogs where we cut them. That was not the way I'd want to do a goat. However, I've never seen a goat cut.

I band. Sometimes they cry for a few minutes, others for hours.

As a man, NEITHER way is humane! So I can't say anything to ease your mind or mine. I just do it.

[coonripper]

Made me walk a little funny just reading this post. I have banded goats sheep and cattle. They just wiggle a little Maybe let out a yip and go lay down for a little while. Then back to normal.

[Tallabred]

I did mine for the first time last year. They did not care about the banding - just hated the tetnus shot!

They also had the benefit of being able to stay with their dams and sisters longer.

[Laverne]

In the Uk it is against the law to castrate with the band method without analgesics over the age of 7 days. http://www.animalwelfareapproved.org...i-in-Goats.pdf

[Creamers]

As a man, NEITHER way is humane! So I can't say anything to ease your mind or mine. I just do it.

lol

Laverne, I suppose know that, which I did, made me very leery of it; however, at this point, I suppose - at least for this guy - it will have to be the method.

[LFRJ]

When I was three, I got vaccinated. I still have the proverbial round dime size scar on my shoulder that we all got back in the sixties. I'm sure it HURT and I did not like it. I don't remember it though, and am grateful I was put through it (though apparently not at the time). I imagine if I could ask our wether about his banding, he'd say the same.

[mpete]

I raise/train pack wethers. I use the banding method when they are at least 4 months old. If I have the room, I wait longer. They are always current on their CD&T's. Like everyone else says, they seem uncomfortable for awhile, but then they are out playing again soon. Just make sure the placement is correct. I always pour rubbing alcohol around the testes to kill any bacteria that may cause an infection. Don't put any kind on cream because that can actually hold dirt near the banding site.

[CheerfulMom4]

I've banded with not problem, the most the goat protested was when he was being held still so I could place the band. He kind of shuffled off and was fine.

I know someone who just had hers done and he was cut by the vet. She said she wouldn't do it that way again. I guess it was pretty bad and the next day she the goat wasn't do very well.

[mygoat]

Originally Posted by muleskinner2

I use the same bander on my goats, that I use on my dogs. In over forty years I have never had a problem.

You're lucky - dogs can reach their scrotums and I've heard horror stories about dogs evicerating themselves trying to remove the band. I would never ever ever ever use a bander on an animal that can reach their own testicles.

[Eunice]

My neighbors with a herd of pet wethers didn't like the idea of banding and bought a burdizzo for the last two male goats they bought. One wether is fine and the other is a stinking buck with big horns because the cord wasn't crushed sufficiently on one side.

[TroutRiver]

I second that banding seems like a better option than surgical castration by the vet (not to mention a lot cheaper). My friend over the summer had a 3 month old boer buck that he wanted to castrate, and was told that it was too late to band. I helped hold the goat down when the vet was castrating him. Even with a local anesthetic, he screamed a lot and it was clearly very painful, and there was a high risk of infection and it had to be watched very closely for several days afterwards.

As for the other methods, clamping off the cords, etc, I don't see how they would be any better/less painful than banding. From what I hear, banding seems like the safest and easiest option.

[Sherry in Iowa]

We usually sell off our little bucks before banding. But when we want or need to keep a whether back, we band. I always kind of wondered how much it hurt. I think it's like putting a rubber band on the end of your finger. Pretty soon you can't feel anything. I think the tug when they are falling off might be the most uncomfortable.

[FunnyRiverFarm]

Personally, I prefer the burdizzo. I don't think it is more humane, neccessarily...I just like the fact that you do it and it's done. There's no waiting for the sack to shrivel and rot away--which looks horrid--and no risk for infection or anything of that nature. You only have to check a couple of times to make sure things are shrinking back there and that's it. I might band if I was selling a wether and it was leaving before I had an appropriate amount of time to evaluate if the procedure "took" (I have never had it NOT work, but better safe than sorry)...but for the most part I'd rather burdizzo.

Recently, it has not been an issue because I have been leaving all buck kids intact and selling to the ethnic population them for meat--they want them unaltered.

[Wolf Flower]

I banded a buckling for the first time last year. I was a bit concerned about it, but he didn't make a peep when it was done, and as soon as he got home, he was acting like nothing happened.