Hoof Care

Hoof Care

[video_embed url=”https://youtu.be/HbismVKq8i8″]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 2-3 months for the rest of their lives. Believe me, it’s better to check more often and make minor adjustments than to fight it every time because you waited so long. 

Hoof Trimming Supplies

• Hoof Trimming Kit https://packgoatsbak.wpenginepowered.com/product/goat-hoof-trimming-kit/
• Iodine
• Stanchion

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How to Trim Hooves

It’s always easier to trim 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.[video_embed url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0meTXheaaQ”]

How to Repair Bad Hooves

Repairing hooves is an overtime thing; 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.[video_embed url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZfuXdwWc9w&t=231s”]

Hoof Rot

The combination of untrimmed hooves and bacteria leads to hoof rot. It is most common in the winter mucky conditions. Inflamed tissue between the hooves becomes infected by the bacteria in the ground. 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.