Pedicures for Everyone!

Since the monsoon season started last month, I can't even begin to think about getting in the garden to plant the fall seedlings I've been nurturing on the back patio.  There are other things on the list; however, and one of those things is checking on the goat's hooves.  That seems like an odd thing to have on a list of things to do, but it is necessary.

I can remember when I was in junior high school I showed sheep as a 4-H project.  Sheep are notorious for getting sick, lame, and other ailments. Sheep get hoof rot very easy and it seems like it happens overnight - one day they are fine and the next they are limping and require a good trimming. Goats are no different.

I got Annie and her two girls, Darla and Jane and brought them into the barn. Then I went to the pasture that we have placed the bull, Chuck, and the buckling, Buckwheat, and I brought Buckwheat in as well.  I put the goats in our little goat milking stanchion that I built and described the process in
THIS POST.  I put a little feed in the trough for them to eat on to distract them while I work on their hooves and close the head gate of the stanchion to stabilize them.

I lift up each of their feet and inspect the hooves.  One thing I immediately noticed is that the hooves had grown a little uneven and need to be evened out.  What will happen is the outside of the hoof will grow just a little long and a little 'flap' will create a pocket in which dirt, poop, and mud accumulates. This pocket stays moist and is a breeding ground for bacteria. In fact, if it is bad enough you can smell a putrid smell.

You simply trim the overgrown part of the hoof so that the hoof is straight and even, leaving no place for mud and water and the resulting bacteria to accumulate and fester.  Then I use my goat hoof clippers that I sharpened with a file to trim the pad of the hoof since that will grow uneven.  Sometimes in cleaning up the hoof, they will bleed.  I'm sure it hurts like a hangnail does, but it is necessary to get the job done.  They might limp on the affected hoof for a day, but in no time they are doing just fine.

Now you would think that this would only occur in months where there is abundant rainfall and their feet stay muddy, but it happens in dry weather too.  One thing that helps is to have cement (like concrete culverts) for the goats to climb on as this is a way for the goats to trim their hooves naturally just by climbing on it.

I always use Dr. Naylor Hoof 'n Heel to coat the area that I've clipped to stave off infection in the goat's hooves. Sometimes the goats will kick hard and cause my hand to slip and nick myself with the clippers.  In that case I put a little Hoof 'n Heel on my cut to fend off infection, too. It is not labeled for use on humans, so I hope it is okay.  Come to think of it, maybe it is Hoof  'n Heel that has made me ornery as an old goat!

I did the same thing to all four goats and in no time I was done.  It is not a bad job, but I'm not the one getting the pedicure.  I'll check up on them later and do it all over again in another month.  I wish trimming the cows' hooves was as easy.

A Pedicure for Nellie

Goat's hooves need to be trimmed from time to time.  It's one of the things about keeping goats and sheep that you have to stay on top of.  I can remember being in 4H back in elementary school and I showed sheep.  Sometimes they would get 'foot rot' and it was disgusting.  You want to take a proactive stance in keeping hooves trimmed properly.

Goats like to climb.  There is no question about that.  Use that to your advantage.  Have some concrete blocks or something similar for them to climb on.  We have a pallet of bricks that our goats jump up on and in doing so, their hooves scrape the bricks and keep them somewhat trimmed, clean and sharp.

The first thing to do is just be observant.  They don't need to have their hooves trimmed weekly, but if you are around to check your animal, you'll know when it is needed.  Before trimming you'll want to get a scraper and clean the hooves, removing dirt and poop.  A couple of things to look for is when the hooves are overgrown, they'll turn under around the sides.

Before trimming I put Nellie, our Nubian Dairy Goat, in the stanchion that we built.  It keeps her from jumping around trying to get away.  I tell her what I'm about to do so she's not surprised and then I get my pair of hoof shears and get busy.  It doesn't take long if the hooves are in good shape.  I bought a good pair of shears from Burgon & Ball, a company in Sheffield, England.

Hoof shears

I don't know if you can see the really neat thing about this tool so I'll zoom in.  You see it below?  This company has been in business since 1730.  You read that right.  1730!  That's longevity, isn't it.  I think these things will last as I think that after 283 years, Burgon & Ball probably has all the kinks worked out and has hoof trimming figured out!

Wow!

So let's get started...

Nellie getting a pedicure

Take your time, though.  You don't want to rush it and cut the hooves down to the 'quick'.  That would be painful.  You want to do a good, even job.  Trim a little bit at a time.  Don't try to cut off too much at one time.


Crocs with socks?  I'm breaking an important fashion rule!  The fashion police will be around shortly to issue me a citation.

Although for humans it would be breaking every rule of etiquette to trim your toenails at the dinner table, we find that goats don't follow human code of conduct and don't mind having this done while they eat.  Actually it is a good distraction, so we add some feed to the trough while we clip.



Getting the front hooves now

Here is a photo that shows what I'm trying to do.  Nellie's hooves are actually in very good shape.  She had a little bit of overgrowth where the hoof was turning under and I trimmed that off.  The back portion of her hooves had grown faster than the front, though, leading it to look as if she's wearing high heels.  We'll want to trim the pads down to make the hoof nice and square.

A pedicurist with some sharp shears.  Look out!

You can see how I clipped off her 'high heels' and yes, I'm keeping my mind on what I'm doing as those shears would snip off my thumb in no time flat.

Think Safety!

Being proactive with hoof care is an important part of animal health and management. 

Abraham Lincoln once said, "Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I'll use the first 4 sharpening the ax." 

In other words, planning ahead and taking care of business saves you time, money and headache later on.