Goat Hoof Trimming

Today was goat hoof trimming day. 

We try to ensure that we do this at least every six weeks.  As I am sure you can imagine this is no easy task.  The actual trimming is not really the difficult part, but it is an art form and takes a great amount of practice to do it well.  The difficult part is convincing the goat that they really do need this done.

The way that we handle this is to put each goat on the milk stand and give them a bit of grain, this will keep them busy long enough to trim at least one hoof, but maybe two if you are lucky and quick about it.  We are not usually lucky.  My job is to soothe the goat and hold the light while my husband does the real work.  He has to hold the foot up while trimming.  Naturally the goat does not like this too much.  Most of our goats are used to having this done so there is less fighting then there used to be.

There is an art to trimming hooves however.  It is important to trim them accurately to ensure that the goat walks on the hoof correctly.  You will need a good pair of hoof sheers.  Online you can purchase a good pair that are relatively inexpensive.  

Above is a photo of a pair found on the Valley Vet site.  They can be found on several different sites as well.  Jeffers and Hoeggers both carry them. We also find it helpful to use a hoof pic and a hoof knife.

Above is a photo that shows a good idea of what hooves should look like.  I did not think to take photos while the process was happening.  I was too busy ensuring everyone was on their best behavior.  Anyone who has goats know that in itself is a full time job.  But we did get our task completed and before any of the girls decided to have babies too. 

We have a total of 9 goats who all have nice trimmed hooves after today.