[Declan]

I have heard that castrated male kids will not grow as big as their intact brothers.
Is there any truth in it?

Declan

[ballingall]

No, not really. It can stunt their growth for a couple of weeks just after they have been castrated. It is a shock to the system, and it takes a wee while to recover. However, once recovered, if anything, castrated males can grow bigger then entire males. Entire males think about their sole priority in life (sex) from such a young age (3-4 months old) that it can put them off their food. It is not uncommon for castrates to be bigger than both females and entire males.

Beth

[Roxy]

Ballingirl is right, and I also find this true with my horses.  Once they are castrated, they are not as stressed and tend to put their energies into eating!!

My friend had a castrated Anglo Nubian male.  I have never seen a bigger goat - he was as big as our pony.  Although at the opposite end of the scale, I have never seen anything as small as our castrated male pygmy.  He is nearly 6 months, and is tiny, even for a pygmy, yet his parents and siblings are normal sized.

[Declan]

Roxy- you might have touched on something there- the guy who was telling me this was big into the pygmy goats- he is a well respected chap within the goat scene so maybe it was his experience of the pymgys he was referring to.

Declan

[plumseverywhere]

Great! so the already boisterous and very cheeky Reggie will probably get even bigger than his huge mother?! oh pants!!! I was hoping he'd stay 'manageable' size wise