How To Trim Goat Hooves

Learn the importance of how to trim goat hooves. Hoof care is essential to the overall health and wellness of a goat. If hooves are not kept up, hoof rot can set in and affect a whole herd because the infection is spread through bacteria in the soil. The more frequently you maintain your goat’s hooves the easier it is on you. Babies don’t really need their hooves trimmed until about 5 months of age and even then they may not need it. Start to check their hooves at 5 months of age and then begin checking at minimum every 6 to 8 weeks for the rest of their lives. It’s better to check more often and make minor adjustments than to fight it every time because you waited so long.

Supplies Needed For Trimming Hooves

• Hoof Trimming Kit: Hoof trimmers, rasp, and a brush with a pick.
• This youtube video demonstrates why this kit is essential to your goat trimming duties.
• Iodine in case of hoof rot.
• Stanchion to help make your chore less stressful with no additional helpers for trimming hooves. 

Steps To Trim Goat Hooves

1. Gather supplies needed to trim goat hooves.
2. Goat secured on the Stanchion with pelleted grass or loose hay in the bucket.
3. Inspect hooves. Watch for anything out of the normal.
4. Use your pick/brush to clean off the debris
5. Start at the toe and trim. Work your way to the heel.
6. Use the rasp and smooth out the hoof for a final clean-up.

For a better understanding and tips for trimming your goat’s hooves check out this how-to youtube video.

Tips On How To Trim Hooves 

It’s always easier to trim goat hooves when they are wet. When they are dry, it’s a bit tougher. If you trim regularly, it won’t be such a pain. Your goal is the shape of a deer hoof. You want them to lay flat and both toes to be even and parallel with the hairline.  When you begin to see pink, that means you’re getting close to cutting too deep into the quick and may make them bleed. Causing them to bleed is not the end of the world and it will happen. It comes with practice patience and practice.

How to Repair Bad Hooves

When trimming goat hooves, you may need to fix bad hooves. Repairing hooves is an overtime thing; although, it takes multiple trimming sessions to get hooves back to where they should be. Essentially what you want is a deer hoof. You want the hoof to lay flat and you want both toes to be even. Check out this youtube video, you will learn how to trim a bad hoof and work it into better condition.

What To Do For Hoof Rot

The combination of untrimmed hooves and bacteria leads to hoof rot. However, it is most common in the winter mucky conditions. Inflamed tissue between the hooves becomes infected by the bacteria in the ground. That is to say, it will begin to smell like something is rotting. Be sure to quarantine them because now the infection is in the soil. Trim infected hooves with disinfected trimmers.  Disinfect the hooves with Iodine. For more information on hoof rot, check out this article on Hoof Rot in Goats.

Trimming your goat hooves on a regular basis will keep your goats happy and healthy. It is so important to maintain to keep sickness and crippling away. Therefore, make your life easier with the right tools to make it an enjoyable less stressful chore. To find out more tips and resources be sure to check out Youtube packgoats.com and subscribe to get all the latest information about goats. Our mission is to become a leading resource on all things for owning your goats. In addition, help you feel confident about the information and be successful in caring for your goats.

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