What to do with a half-wethered pygmy goat?

[mom4morecritters]

Last summer I purchased 4 wethers. A few months later I was informed by a woman who's had dairy goats for many years that two of my wethers were only "half" done! To finish neutering them will cost a lot of money because the Vet told me today he'd most likely have to put them under. That doesn't fit our budget!

The two half-wethers are twins and do butt heads (literally) and are more tame than our two billy goats they hang out with, but not quite as friendly as the other two wethers.

Here is my question... finally... if I keep them "as is" could I sell them as billy goats? Would they be able to breed successfully? Trust me, they are VERY interested in the Does (who kidded and are separated right now) and are just as focused on breeding with them as the billy's are.

I suppose I could pen them up with a Doe and see if she got pregnant, but it would take 5 months before I'd find out!

They are sweet little boys who are about to turn 1 yr old, but I really need to cut down on my herd without it costing ME money!

What should I do? I'm looking for suggestions.

~A

 

[Nava]

bump

 

[Teach97]

half weathered? I am assuming they only removed one testicle and didn't do anything like epidimize (removal of the epididimus) or anything like that to the remaining testicle...I ask this because in hogs you will use a teaser boar to stimulate sows...he smells and acts like an intact male but can't do the deed because he is lacking parts. Never heard of doing this in goats but why not! I could understand it from a AI perspective...

Anyways..as long as the remaining testicle is intact and nothing has been done to it...yes they are capable of breeding.

I ain't spelling so good tonight....

 

[mom4morecritters]

From what I was told, one testicle didn't drop, that's why they weren't neutered correctly to begin with. Because there isn't anything "hanging" it is more of a complicated situation to finish the job now.

I guess I hadn't really thought about the fact that if the testicle is in tact, so is the ability to reproduce. Hmmm...

 

[vicki2x2]

If the testicle is retained, he will still act like a intact male, but he may be sterile. The testes are supposed to be outside the body for a reason, when retained, the body heat can make them sterile.

 

[mom4morecritters]

Quote:
Good point! Dang... that doesn't help me though. LOL!

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

My question is: how did she know they boys were only half done?

 

[mom4morecritters]

She saw one of them pee on himself and looked underneath! I was very new to goats at the time and she is very experienced. She checked them out and gave me the bad news.

She was going to help me "finish them off", but that sort of fell through with busy schedules last Fall.

 

[ThornyRidge]

when she saw him pee on himself and looked underneath what was it that she saw and described to you? All my wethers pee on themselves occasionally and still go through some bucky behaviors (tongue flapping, mounting etc) but I know for a fact they were completely wethered after given time to mature the urinary tract. one was banded and the other was castrated with me holding him (ouch). how were these boys originally wethered- banding, cutting or what? if banded too early there would be a chance a testicle may have not dropped. I would be more concerned that this "knowledgeable" goat person that sold them to you only half did the job. I wait till boys are around 8 weeks to wether.. and trust me one typically can tell (at least on my goats/experience) if they should be wethered at that time.. and if you have a vet do the cutting both would be severed as the bottom of the pouch is cut/removed and then cutting of testes occurs..my wethers that have been cut develop and heal up with a little pooch in that area (not looking like normal goat testicles) but there is a pooch..

 

[mom4morecritters]

Hmmm... so maybe they aren't "half" after all? Well, that would be awesome! If that is the case I can sell them as wethers and not worry about anything. They are get little pygmy goats, and really friendly & fun to watch together, but I need to cut my herd down by a couple more.