Nigerian Dwarf growth question.

[Southern by choice]

Your best bet is to castrate the male when he is big enough. You can always add in a buck and doe later then you will have the wether for the buck and a doe for the doe.

Cheap often means just that. Not always but usually.
Do you have papers on these goats?
Many wethers go for 75-100 and many are coming from farms that are tested.

 

[Latestarter]

Also, if you don't want to wether the buckling, you can find two inexpensive wethers, you could separate them and put one with each of your present animals so everyone would have a companion and no one can inadvertently get "knocked up".

 

[BDaY]

That's what I'm saying! And the ones asking $300 in my area are just selling them on Facebook! The breeders near me they for anywhere from $4-500 each! Bucks of course aren't that expensive but they're still around $150.

 

[BDaY]

The papers situation I found out has been moot. The lady I got them from said their parents were registered which gave me hope since I want to register them but then she said since she sold the parents she didn't have the info and wouldn't give me anymore than that. I reckon that's what I get for free goats can't expect the paperwork to come with them. I reckon weathering the boy is my best bet. I can't breed them together anyway. I just hate to since from what I've read polled males are hot stuff and know he would make pretty babies.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

The papers situation I found out has been moot. The lady I got them from said their parents were registered which gave me hope since I want to register them but then she said since she sold the parents she didn't have the info and wouldn't give me anymore than that. I reckon that's what I get for free goats can't expect the paperwork to come with them. I reckon weathering the boy is my best bet. I can't breed them together anyway. I just hate to since from what I've read polled males are hot stuff and know he would make pretty babies.

It really depends. In the pet world it might be. I don't breed for coat color, eye color, moonspots, or polled.

I agree with the others, I'd go ahead and wether this guy. You can always get another buck down the road.

If you plan on studding a buck out, read up on CAE, CL, Johne's, chlamydia, sore mouth, and other diseases.

Studding a buck to just any doe can have serious consequences.

 

[BDaY]

Yeah that sounds like the best route. What's the best way you guys think is to weather him? Banding? Or there's a piece of equipment I read about that's supposed to be better. It may be a little while before I can as he seems to be a little under weight as I mentioned in my other posts. They're going for fecals and checkups next week to make sure it's not coccidia or any worms.

 

[Southern by choice]

We cut.
I loathe banding.

Ask your vet at check up.

 

[BDaY]

Next question lol. If a vet neutering is too pricey and we cut how do you keep him still? I read some articles on castration and methods and I'm a medic so I'm not squeamish and pretty comfortable with a scalpel if we go with cutting. How do you get the little guy to sit still long enough to take a scalpel to his most sensitive area? I know I can anesthetize the area but cutting sounds like something that requires sedation and the articles say nothing about suturing the sac after you cut the vas deferens so are you supposed to leave it open? I also looked at using and emasculotome but that seems like there's an opportunity that it won't take.

 

[Southern by choice]

Easier with two people. It takes a few seconds.
You do NOT cut the vas deferens.
The only cut you are making is the bottom of the scrotal sac where it is thick skin.
I suggest you either let the vet show you or you find someone from the extension service etc. that can show you how this is done.
It is very simple but you need to be taught first.

It also depends on age of goat.

 

[BDaY]

Th website I looked at said you can either rough cut or pull the testicles from the spermatic cord (which I thought was another name for the vas deferens) it did say not to cut cleanly because it will bleed way too much. The video I just watched showed the guy cutting the cords after pulling them pretty taut and looked like he did the whole thing with a pocket knife and there wasn't ANY bleeding and the goat maybe flinched a tiny bit (the man was good!). Goats are definitely tougher than us humans!