Trimming goat hooves - am I really that much of a perfectionist?

[savingdogs]

I need hoof care help too. What to do about these splits in my does hooves? I'm going to try dragging some pallets down for them to stand on more. But for now, do you cut them off? They are off to the sides.

Their feet don't smell but always seem to be wet so I'm worried. I'm sure Molly would like a goat milk foot bath herself.

 

[ksalvagno]

My personal feeling is that if you sell a goat to someone, then one of the things you should do is trim their feet. I can't say that I totally keep up with trimming feet but the ones I have sold, I have trimmed their feet before leaving.

SD - you want to trim their toes so they are level with the pads. So I would trim up what you can without going past the pad. I mean the front part of the pad, you do trim the back part of the pad.

 

[savingdogs]

Karen that part of their hooves are fine, it is the side parts. They have little areas splitting off that are hanging there, like a thin slice of hoof has splintered off. It is not on any particular part of the hoof, front or back, just the outer wall.

 

[glenolam]

SD - can you have someone take a picture? I think I know what you're talking about but am not quite sure.

K - I absolutely agree with you about trimming hooves before you send them home. To me it's like picking up before guests come - first impressions mean a lot and if you sell off a goat and don't pretty it up some the person may never return or pass along your name.

 

[ksalvagno]

SD - I would say if it is really bad and hanging way off, then trim that part off.

 

[savingdogs]

I'll try to get my son to take a picture when we milk tomorrow, that is when I can see it well. They are like gigantic hangnails. Doesn't seem painful or smelly. But I don't like how they look either. The cracked off part is attached at the top and kind of flaps back. The "hangnails" are thin and there is still a good amount of hoof left, but there are two or three of these things per hoof.

Last time I cut them back but I think they look worse this time. I don't know if I should have handled it that way. Some of them are shorter than the length of the hoof itself.

I think it is from having the gravel and having the rain. Their feet get wet from walking through the mud and they are soft, and then they jump around on the gravel and they are spliting. I don't really know though, but when I trim them they seem really soft compared to when I trimmed them in the summertime.

 

[The Old Ram-Australia]

G'day to you all,IMO feet effect every part of production,be it milk, fiber or meat.The long term solution is to breed for "black feet".IE British Alpines /Nubins or select for "black hooves" in your new sires(except for Saanans of course).................

Short term:What sort of "clippers "do you all use up there?

We gave up on the standard "foot rot shears" they use for sheep soon after we got our Goats(they are just to big ,you need hands like the HULK to use them).There are several types of secatears used in gardening which are ideal for foot trimming,we settled on a type which has the blades the same width (long and narrow)as it is easy to slide one blade under the "rolled over" section of the hoof....Being smaller they are far easier to control so you limit the opportunity for damage/bleeding( they do not have to be flush,close is good enough)

Something else which can assist is a "big"boulder,say 1/2 a ton in a small paddock near their yards,for them to "play on"will also help keep hooves in good health.

Hope the above is of some value.....................T.O.R.........

 

[Farmfresh]

Karen that part of their hooves are fine, it is the side parts. They have little areas splitting off that are hanging there, like a thin slice of hoof has splintered off. It is not on any particular part of the hoof, front or back, just the outer wall.

I have NO experience with goat feet, but horse feel peel like that from time to time. The moist conditions that you described may be what is doing it. You might get a hoof dressing made for horses and paint some on to help seal the hoof and help keep the natural oils in them.

Actual splits in a hoof wall can be stopped with a "check mark" at least that is what my old farrier called it. First you rasp a groove a bit above the crack and then you rasp a "V" with the bottom pointing directly at the crack above the horizontal groove. What ever this does to the hoof grain I can not tell you but if done right the split will stop at the grove and grow out.

In answer to the original question. I think it is VERY important to keep the feet in good order. They are the foundation for everything else.

 

[glenolam]

TOR....that's interesting about the "black feet". I've never heard of that but also never really paid attention to the color of "good milker's" feet - I'll have to now!

I gave up on the $12 hoof shears I got too - now I use that pair for cutting the hay twine when opening up a bale. I got myself some nice $5 gardening shears from Tractor Supply. I'm about 6 months in and have yet to sharpen them. The spring did fall out so now I don't have resistance when squeezing the handles but it still works the same.

ETA - One of the original reasons I posted this topic was becuase one of the new gals I had started favoring her right front hoof the evening I brought her home. I chaulked it up to bumping or twisting it but did notice her hoof turned out when she stepped with it so that's why I gave her a pedicure. She still favored that hoof the rest of the night, but the next day was putting pressure on it as normal. There's no way to know whether she did in fact twist it or if it was the over grown hoof issue, but I find it interesting anyway.

 

[Farmfresh]

Black feet are supposed to be harder in horses as well, but the Appaloosas and POA's that we have had have not followed those rules in my opinion. They all seemed to have hard feet and those feet were striped!

The ARS 140 DXR Hoof Trimmers from Premier 1 Supplies are supposed to be sized for smaller hands. I have no personal experience with them, but we need to order some for Malcolm's feet. Anyone had personal experience with these?