Which is safe for my goat? The hooves of sheep and goats grow and, if not trimmed, can cause problems to the animal. Keep clipping until you see a white surface emerge. SURPRISE!!! A goat with overgrown hooves has the potential to become very sick and possibly die. The videos really helped me. Trim between the hooves where the heels meet, taking care, as the heels are softer than any other part of the hoof. If their hooves are significantly overgrown due to a lack of hoof maintenance, such as in the event of a newly rescued sheep, you may need to spread trimming out over a couple sessions. Rag or old towel for wiping mud off the hoof. While it's fairly easy to trim a goat's hooves on your own, you should seek professional advice in the event you're unsure. I carry my snippers in my back pocket at all times...and if someone is standing close...grab and trim. ", http://www.boergoats.com/clean/articleads.php?art=80, http://www.goatworld.com/articles/feet/hooftrimming.shtml, http://www.tennesseemeatgoats.com/articles2/trimminghooves.html, http://www.weedemandreap.com/trim-goat-hooves/, https://fiascofarm.com/goats/hoof-trim-rf.htm, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. The goat will feel less discomfort and will continue with normal activity. very nice job on those feet indeed! So am wondering can I cut into the overgrown area without causing a problem? Use multiple strokes, trimming off a very thin layer with each stroke. Overgrown hooves will cause discomfort for your goat when walking, and create pockets where dirt and bacteria can collect. "I see I need to do more toe trimming than I thought. Proper tools are necessary in order to safely and easily trim. To trim the hoof you will use your nippers, which are similar to large nail clippers for your horse's hooves. So, make sure they are in a... 2. Wow, I'm so impressed with how quick & easy it was to get the entire foot flat and balanced. It’s important to familiarize yourself with the anatomy of a goat hoof before you … As hooves grow they often curl over, trapping bacteria against the foot pad. Trimming goat hooves may be the dreaded task of goat ownership, but it is a necessary and important one. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. You did a great job. If you choose the first alternative, you need to make the movements starting from the heel towards the toe, while if you use a knife it’s the other way around. They were so overgrown that the side walls had curled totally around the underside of the hooves, and the back part of the of has grown so thick that the two halves of the hooves are being pushed apart. I have a new goat that has really, "The video was very very helpful. If your goat has extreme overgrown goat hooves, you might need to work in slow, frequent trimmings, to get the shape back to normal. Front hooves tend to wear away faster naturally, so always check the goat’s back hooves to determine if it’s time for a trim. I would trim it far until you see red (blood just underneath the hoof). 5 Easy Ways to Get Your Goat Hooves Trimmed 1. To trim a hoof, remove any dirt or debris from the bottom of the hoof and between the toes with the hoof pick or the point of the hoof shears. In this part, don’t release your grab from their hoof. Trim the excess hoof growth from the sides and pointed toe, until the wedge shape is returned. But real quick, incase your needing the info, I use the tincture as it is MUCH easier to administer - the doe just needs a dropfull or two. The final shape should be wedge like. The primary two purposes of trimming a goat’s hooves are to give them an even, comfortable walking surface to step on, and to clean out accumulated dirt and debris that might have gotten caught in their feet in order to prevent infections. Proper and timely trimming for goat hooves stops the mud, manure, bacteria, stone, and food from harboring in the hoof. why trim hooves? If the hoof was drastically overgrown, and you didn't get it into the right shape, it is better to come back to it later than to make the goat … everything is very wet and muddy. I generally start by scraping out the sole area if it is filled with dirt, and then cutting off the excess hoof walls, starting with the outside wall on each toe, and then the inside wall (Picture 3). You may have to scrape the sole a little to get that white crumbly part off. Hey Brenda,I'll try to do a post on Shepherd's Purse tomorrow. Supplies needed for Trimming Goat Hooves: Stanchion to hold goat; Goat Hoof Trimming Shears a helper High-protein, high-energy diets cause hooves to grow more quickly, so if you feed alfalfa hay or high-protein grain, you might have to trim more often. The health and maintenance of goat feet is very important and is often an overlooked item of health care. Any position and rhythm depend on your call. If you trim your goat’s feet regularly, you will reduce the chance of infectious and non-infectious hoof lesions from developing. Clip at the tip of the front nails. Continue to trim the sides around one toe and repeat the process on the other toe. … Overgrown Hooves. This will lead to excessive bleeding and possibly injure your goat. I kept trimming them and even had a experienced goat friend try trimming them but them continue to grow twisted. Haven't done, "I had a nanny goat that needed her hooves trimmed really badly when I bought her. Overgrown Hooves. It's vital to remove such debris as such materials can obscure your vision. Trim … You mentioned using shepherds purse to stop the bleeding. 4. . In your pics it looks like you went down pretty far for how long they were. Tough-to-cut, overgrown, out-of-shape hooves may need to be worked on with a hand-held electric grinder - the kind with a 4-inch metal grinding wheel. Trim off any excess hoof … If you accidentally cut to the quick on your pygmy goat's hooves, remember that you can stop … You can work on the shape of the hoof slowly and help prevent infection with cuts and scrapes. I'm sure that little guy felt much better when you were finished.Last kidding season, you posted about a doe that was losing a lot of blood with the kidding. Grooming a goat is pretty basic, and keeping a goat’s hooves trimmed is one of the easiest, least expensive, and most important parts of goat care. Not that I'm overzealous but it sure makes me feel good when I see straight smart little feet running around. Start at the Front and Work Around. If their hooves are significantly overgrown due to a lack of hoof maintenance, such as in the event of a newly rescued goat, you may need to spread trimming out over a couple sessions. Trimming hooves is one of the most hated things for every goat. Why? {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/0\/06\/Trim-Goat-Hooves-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Trim-Goat-Hooves-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/0\/06\/Trim-Goat-Hooves-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid1661917-v4-728px-Trim-Goat-Hooves-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"