We were just given a goat. He is about 45lbs and we think he is about a year.?

We are concerned because he has horns and is not neutered. We have two dogs and today tried to mate with one of them. The other problem is we have a 4 year old Daughter and he can get a little frisky around her as well. We have 21 arces, so plenty of room for him. We are not sure if it's possible to have his horns removed and how to neuter him, due to his age, the rubber band thing is out. I would appreciate any imput.

Spring for a vet.

best thing you can do is take him to the butcher. be sure to get a roast for yourself. cook it like a brisket on a bbq. you wont be disappointed!

If he's only about 45lbs he's probably not a year old unless he's a pygmy. Your vet can easily castrate him and as it's a very simple procedure it shouldn't cost much. DON'T have his horns removed at this age. If they are not burned off when the kid is very young removing horns is a nasty bloody business and don't let anyone try to convince you otherwise.We have had goats for many years and have nevr had a problem with them using their horns in an aggressive way. And I think an impressive set of horns makes a goat very attractive!The most important thing is for you to get another goat as a companion for him as soon as you possibly can. Goats are herd animals and he desperately needs the company of his own kind. Two goats will play happily together and keep each other amused. One goat will be a miserable lonely creature who will be so desperate for attention that he won't give you, your children dogs etc a moments peace.Get him castrated, get him a friend and you will have a sweet loving pet who will give you many years of fun and also teach your daughter lots about growing up with different sorts of creatures. Just one word of warning.......one you have two goats you will want more. They are very addictive!!

One of our male goats used to try to mount the dog, but she soon learned to stay clear of him. Horns can be trimmed and filed blunt, but I wouldn't have them removed - too painful and un-natural for the animal. You can also cut a rubber hose a little bit longer than the length of the horn, slide it over the horn leaving about an inch of hose on the end and fasten securely at the base with a coated wire. Have him neutered by a Vet or a neighbor/rancher that has experience in neutering adult goats. Goats are a lot of fun, enjoy!!

Bucks definitely don't make good pets - they can be smelly and aggressive, and with horns intact, downright dangerous. If he's 45 pounds and fully grown, I'm assuming he's a pygmy? Most dairy bucks are 45 pounds before 6 months of age. If you're not sure of his breed or age, ask another goat person (or feel free to email me a pic) and I'll try to figure out what he is. Generally, a mature pygmy buck is pretty hairy, has the start of his beard, and may smell very musky (this nasty smell gets even worse in fall when rutting season commences).Even immature buck kids will try to mount other animals (or sometimes people) in play. Is he doing the tongue flapping and front pawing as well? He may be young and just getting some practice with his new hormones, and if you're not sure of his age, disbudding and castrating may still be possible. Check with your farm vet, but wethering (castrating) an adult buck is much more intrusive than wethering a kid, and if he's already got his testosterone kicking in, this might not change the behavior dramatically. I recommend the clamp method for wethering if they're too old to band - that way there's no surgery, aftercare, worry about infection, etc.Disbudding (dehorning) may be impossible at his age. After a couple of months of age, the horn bud starts to attach to the skull and becomes part of the sinus cavity. Removing horns that are too large for a disbudder requires painful surgery (and it can be pretty gruesome). Most vets can't (and won't) attempt to remove horns after a certain age.If you just want to use him to clear your field of weeds and don't want him to have much interaction with people, I'd say wether him and turn him out with another wether for company. If you can't disbud him, I would NOT recommend allowing your daughter around him. There's too much of a chance of her being seriously injured even if he is just playing.Hope this helps and feel free to contact me if you want more specific info.

You might want to get another goat to go with him. They are herd animals and need companions. Don't have his horns removed. It's painful when they are that old. He will probably need them for protection if you are planning on housing him where there are any predators. He will keep any other goats you get safe as well. Are you trying to keep him as a pet or just want him around the farm? If you were not interested in keeping him as a pet you could get a few females to go with him and use him as your breeding buck for a while. You might be able to get a few does out of it and keep them as a pet. Does make better pets than bucks. At this age even if you get him neutered he might still be aggressive towards everyone and still try to mate with everything now that he has this habit. You might be able to stud him out and let him pay for his keep. Whatever your plans are for him, I hope it works out.