# Suggeseted age for banding a buckling



## medic (Dec 8, 2010)

What age do you all suggest for banding a nubian buckling?


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## mpete (Mar 4, 2008)

Due to UC, try not to band until 4-6 months if not longer. I have room so I don't band until 8 months or so.


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

as soon as their parts drop, usually we banded at a couple days or so, never had a problem with UC,


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## LoneStrChic23 (Jul 30, 2010)

In my opinion the earlier the better. Seems they recover faster and it isn't quite as tramatic...

I helped band 3 of my friend's goats 4 years ago....2 were week old twins...they fussed when we held them, ran off after the band was in place and in about 10 minutes were playing and running around. The third one we banded was 5 months old. It was a fight to restrain him (boer x nubian) and after the band went on he flopped, yelled and screamed! We double checked the band thinking we put it on wrong, but it was picture perfect. He was in obvious pain the entire day and took about 4 days to return to normal. I felt awful.

The older buck and one of the twins went to freezer camp a year later, but the other twin is a companion for her buck. He's 4 years old....never a single problem with UC, which is odd considering his 3 year old intact buck companion has had UC issues twice, despite proper feeding.....they now give him ammonium chloride at least twice a week....if they don't, they have problems. The wether has never had a problem and they don't even supplement him with extra ammonium chloride....

So, if it were my goat and I planned to band, I'd do it as soon as possible. After banding that 5 month old, I'll never do one that old ever again.....


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## Creamers (Aug 3, 2010)

We just banded at 8 weeks - no problems - he didn't even act like anything had happend.

I've read studied that say the UC isn't actually effected by early wethering, and they say banding late is traumatic, so I'd personally stick to 2-8 weeks


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## BackfourtyMI. (Sep 3, 2007)

I band any bucklings that need it at about 4-5 weeks of age. 

I don't believe it's banding at a young age that causes UC. UC can be caused from a number of different factors & intact Males get UC just as much as wethers I believe.
The only male goat I've had with UC was a few years ago & it was a Buck, nevr had a problem with any wethers or any of our other bucks before or since.


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## HappyFarmer (Jun 17, 2006)

We band at 6 weeks. Any longer and a buyer can remove the band & have an intact buck when sold at 8 weeks, any shorter and we feel the risk of UC increases. If we sell a wether we expect that wether to be a wether.

HF


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## wintrrwolf (Sep 29, 2009)

I banded mine at 2 months, once I decided which one I was going to keep for a companion for a buck. I might have waited a little longer but my setup didn't allow for randy little bucklings trying to mount everything. And since my 6 month old buckling got a doe pregnant didn't want to risk it.


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