Versuchen GOLD - Frei
Considerations in castrating of young goats
The Country Smallholder
|February 2026
Matt Huggins discusses the options and explains why they favour one method over another for their herd
Castration is a procedure found throughout the farming world.
Whilst Buttercups is not a farm itself, our policy is to castrate our males too. This is done to prevent breeding, as well as managing behavioural traits common amongst billies.
METHODS
The most common method is a process called banding. This involves placing a tight, rubber band at the top of the scrotum, cutting off the blood supply. The testicles then eventually drop off on their own. The alternative method is through a surgical procedure performed by a vet. This second option is by far our most preferred and the one we now always opt for.
ISSUES WITH BANDING
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 2026-Ausgabe von The Country Smallholder.
Abonnieren Sie Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierter Premium-Geschichten und über 9.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Sie sind bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
WEITERE GESCHICHTEN VON The Country Smallholder
The Country Smallholder
Making sure you put enough nutrition into your dairy goat to support her milk production
Sarah Day, nutritionist for Small Holder Feed offers feeding advice for your dairy goats to help them be happy, healthy and milky animals.
6 mins
March 2026
The Country Smallholder
Welcoming the very start of the spring season
Henrietta Balcon makes the most of the new crop rhubarb
2 mins
March 2026
The Country Smallholder
Starting with Pigs - before you start
Linda Aldous outlines what you need to do before anything porcine arrives on your smallholding
3 mins
March 2026
The Country Smallholder
Insurance to protect livestock - and your peace of mind
Looking ahead to a busy 2026 for Pedigree Sales, farmers and breeders will be preparing their livestock for the upcoming markets
2 mins
March 2026
The Country Smallholder
Getting Your Electric Fence Spring-Ready: Expert Q&A
As Spring arrives, it’s the perfect time to give your electric fence some attention. Based on questions we discuss regularly here at www.electricfencing.co.uk, here’s a list of the checks you should be carrying out now, and why they matter.
2 mins
March 2026
The Country Smallholder
Check your kit for the busy seasons ahead
Agricultural journalist, and machinery writer Jane Brooks, joins us for her regular look at the world.
4 mins
March 2026
The Country Smallholder
Flock together: is now the right time to add more hens?
Andy Hill explains how to integrate birds into a flock without feathers flying
4 mins
March 2026
The Country Smallholder
The secrets behind maximising incubator hatch rates
Buying quality point of lay hens can be an expensive proposition these days (even if you can find a local source of the breed that you want). Incubating fertilised eggs can save a great deal of money and make many more breeds accessible. If you already keep poultry that includes a cockerel, an incubator means that you can hatch their eggs either to increase your flock or to sell. Hugh & Fiona Osborne have been using incubators for many years and have learned that getting a good hatch means attention to detail.
7 mins
March 2026
The Country Smallholder
Making choices for your chicks
Victoria Roberts BVSc MRCVS says Natural and Artifical Incubation are not an either/or choice
5 mins
March 2026
The Country Smallholder
An appetite for asparagus
Our Experts answer your questions
1 mins
March 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size