What is a wether, should I buy one?

A wether goat is a buckling that has been castrated. Its testicles have been removed, usually by banding. While it may sound cruel, but if you don’t have a need for a breeding buck, castrating a goat has some advantages for you and the goat that will make them a great addition to any homestead.

A wether goat is much different than a buck. The first notable difference is their smell. A breeding male goat with all his parts has a very strong musky scent that most people find very unpleasant. It comes from their scent glands and from urinating on their head and beard, especially when the does are in season wanting to be breed. He smells really good to them. While a wether goat may not smell fresh and sweet, he won’t smell of urine either.

Here are some other differences between a wether goat and a buck!

Wethers are much calmer in their behavior in comparison to an intact buck. Bucks can become aggressive during mating season. Wethers have no “extra feelings” for does in season. Wethers are fairly laidback animals year round.

Bucks are usually kept separate from does unless they are breeding. While a wether goat can remain with the does or bucks throughout the year.

Wethers lives longer. By avoiding all the riggers of reproduction activities the wether goat can live as long as 15+ years. A sexually active buck generally has a life span of about 10-12 years.

Benefits of Owning a Wether Goat

It may not seem wise to own a goat that can’t breed or produce milk or meat, but a wethered goat has many surprising benefits. Wethers are fun to be around, not so much with a buck. Most people avoid bucks whenever possible. Their strong unpleasant fragrance and sometimes aggressive behavior is not conducive to a best friend scenario.

Depending on the breed, does and bucks can both be very vocal, especially during breeding time. A wether goat is usually much quieter, he simply just doesn’t have as much to talk about.

Because wethers don’t experience fluctuating hormonal changes a wether’s demeanor generally remains consistent year round. Whereas a doe needs additional feed when pregnant and she becomes temperamental when in heat. A buck will give up food to spend time with the girls and will become very territorial and fight with other bucks.

Wethers are economical. While a pedigree purebred doe or buck can cost you between $500 and $2,500, you can pick up a wether kid generally for around $100-150, making them far more affordable.

It’s much easier to train a wether goat than a buck. Wether goats make great family pets. There are also many 4-H projects involving wether goats. Some will teach participants how to train a goat for the show ring and how to train a wether goat as a pack animal. Thanks to their larger size and tougher disposition, wether goats are used as pack animals in many parts of the world. Many accompany their human friends on long hikes, carrying supplies. They can carry a pack that weighs up to 25% of its own body weight. For an averaged sized wether Boer goat, that’s around 37 pounds, for an adult Alpine wether, nearly 44 pounds! And lets not forget the goat cart for these large goats.