# Trimming Hooves



## SarahFair (May 13, 2010)

How often should you have to trim hooves?
My goats are on pretty soft ground that is mostly made up of young vines, leaves, and long grass. There are no rocks out there..

I trim their hooves myself. Im using something that looks similar to the picture. 
It is about every other week Im having to trim them. Is that normal?


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## chandasue (May 13, 2010)

edit

Hmmm what happened to my post... Oh well. I had said that I ended up trimming more often than I originally thought I would have to, but I usually do it once a month and I use the orange handled hoof trimmers. I have a hoof file as well but I haven't managed to get very far with it.


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## glenolam (May 13, 2010)

It must take you forever to trim with those clippers!  Or is it that the pic makes them look small?  To me those look like baby clippers, but not to use on humans...

I have to trim my goat's hooves probably every two months or so, but they have lots of rocks in their yard.

You could always find a cheap dog house, or build one, and put shingles or something similar on the roof of the house.  The house will be fun for them to play in/on and the shingles will help keep their hooves trimmed.

As for trimmers, I use these


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## SarahFair (May 13, 2010)

They are made for human toe nails (i think...). It came in some kind of kit I got for xmas or a bday and I just never used them. I came across them one day and said 'HEY!' lol


They dont take long at all! I trim in the mornings when the hooves are really really soft. Just for some reason they grow really really fast :/

They have a dog house with shingles on them but I only let them in that area maybe a couple times a week. But the house is about to go to pot because of all the jumping and peeing and whatever else they do on there!


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## aggieterpkatie (May 13, 2010)

Oh my gosh!!!      That would take forever to use on adult hooves!  I don't even think you could get the hoof into the trimmer.  

I use these and really like them a lot.

Oh, and some animals only need trimming twice a year.  Others need it once a month.  Depends on your ground, feed, etc.


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## SarahFair (May 13, 2010)

lol its honestly not so bad...
Takes me 3-5mins a goat depending if they want to behave or not


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## cmjust0 (May 13, 2010)

Wow..  3-5 minutes per goat?...or 3-5 minutes per hoof * 4 per goat?

I don't think I can do a goat in 3 minutes, and I'm rollin old school with a thin bladed hoof knife.

Then again...maybe you're doing yours every few weeks or something..


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## SarahFair (May 13, 2010)

cmjust0 said:
			
		

> Wow..  3-5 minutes per goat?...or 3-5 minutes per hoof * 4 per goat?
> 
> I don't think I can do a goat in 3 minutes, and I'm rollin old school with a thin bladed hoof knife.
> 
> Then again...maybe you're doing yours every few weeks or something..


Ok...
Maybe Im doing something wrong


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## anythingbutsandy (May 13, 2010)

When do you decide they need to be trimmed?  By age?  By hoof length?   My baby goat is just 6 weeks old.


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## SarahFair (May 13, 2010)

My goats hooves start folding over


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## ThornyRidge (May 13, 2010)

hmmm I am confused too.. it takes me 3-5 minutes to sometimes catch em for hoof trimming then another 3-5 to load some of them in stanchion and then we are looking at at least 3-5 minutes per hoof... whew.. and these are nigerian dwarf I am speaking of... I know some of my goats have hard hooves and those things don't even begin to look like they would work.. get yourself a pair of those orange handled famous hoof trimmers.. sold at any goat supply/livestock supply store.. easy to use and sharp!  they also even sell a similar type i think with green handles at TSC.  those look like they would only work on soft little newborn hooves to me.


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## ksalvagno (May 13, 2010)

Basically you want the foot to be flat. So you trim the nails and the back of the foot to have the foot level. That is a VERY basic description though.


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## SarahFair (May 13, 2010)

I trim it flat with the frog...


Ive watched youtube videos and I guess Im doing it right..
The only thing I have been real iffy on on the "heel"
Maybe Ill video tomorrow trimming the hoof..

That is... If I can control a goat and trim and video at the same time!


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## aggieterpkatie (May 14, 2010)

3-5 minutes per goat?  That's a long time if you ask me.    I can usually do each hoof in 3 snips.  One for each side and one for the toe.  The sheep are the same way...I just flip 'em up and go to town.  It might take me 1 or 2 minutes per sheep.


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## freemotion (May 14, 2010)

aggieterpkatie said:
			
		

> 3-5 minutes per goat?  That's a long time if you ask me.    I can usually do each hoof in 3 snips.  One for each side and one for the toe.  The sheep are the same way...I just flip 'em up and go to town.  It might take me 1 or 2 minutes per sheep.


OK, you really owe us a video tutorial......


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## SarahFair (May 14, 2010)

lol Ill get one to yall probly tomorrow.. 
That way my SO can hold the camera


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## cmjust0 (May 14, 2010)

I think I probably take longer because I usually find myself squaring everything up, too..  I take a little frog off the toe everytime, since the frog on the toe grows right along with the hoof wall..  If you never take any frog, you can't get the trapezoid you're looking for.

Their hoof should look something like this...
__
\ _\

...when you're done.


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## aggieterpkatie (May 16, 2010)

cmjust0 said:
			
		

> I think I probably take longer because I usually find myself squaring everything up, too..  I take a little frog off the toe everytime, since the frog on the toe grows right along with the hoof wall..  If you never take any frog, you can't get the trapezoid you're looking for.
> 
> Their hoof should look something like this...
> __
> ...


You mean you trim the sides of the heal so they're pointy?    I've never heard of anyone doing that. The heal is supposed to be round.


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## aggieterpkatie (May 16, 2010)

freemotion said:
			
		

> aggieterpkatie said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ok, you asked for it.    I had to prop the camera up since hubby was busy mowing the yard.  The first video is me trimming my Romney ram lamb's hooves.  His weren't too overgrown so they were pretty quick to trim.  

Here's that video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwUzFhR-RU4 


Then I did my preggo Southdown ewe's hooves.  Her's were definitely due for a trim, and her hooves were much harder than the ram lamb's hooves.  It took more than three snips per hoof, but didn't take long to trim.  My darn camera ran out of memory though in the middle of trimming!!!  And I don't know if you can see it, but a piece of hoof flew up and hit me in the face.  I was trying hard not to laugh!  

Here's that video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7L93iIxJnI


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## chandasue (May 16, 2010)

Wow! That is quick. I don't know if my goats would tolerate being put on their bum though...


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## MissDanni (May 16, 2010)

I don't have any goats (yet dh wants a pair) but I do have horses. I clean out the hooves but I would be too scared to try and trim them. I have a guy that comes to do that for me.


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## Henrietta23 (May 16, 2010)

Thanks for sharing that! I love how the others came to watch.


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## freemotion (May 16, 2010)

Do sheep automatically go limp when you get them upside-down?

That does it, I'm selling all my goats and getting sheep!!!

Wait a doggone minute....let's see you do the little Oberhasli doe in the background.....


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## aggieterpkatie (May 16, 2010)

freemotion said:
			
		

> Do sheep automatically go limp when you get them upside-down?
> 
> That does it, I'm selling all my goats and getting sheep!!!
> 
> Wait a doggone minute....let's see you do the little Oberhasli doe in the background.....


*Most* of them go pretty limp.  Every now and then you'll get a fighter.  Or worse, one that won't relax his/her neck!  

I do June (the goat) on the stand.  She doesn't mind hoof trimming with her nose in the grain bucket.


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## ThornyRidge (May 17, 2010)

ok so that does it.. I want to trade my goats in on limp sheep!  holy mackeral!!  I usually chase mine around the barn for 5 minutes and then try to drag 100 lb goats to a stanchion and lift them up on it.. whew... I am beat just doing that... this makes me sick quite frankly to see a lamb lay there like that..ugh!!!!!  too bad there is shearing involved


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## cmjust0 (May 18, 2010)

aggieterpkatie said:
			
		

> cmjust0 said:
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> 
> ...


No...although I've taken heels off before, when necessary.

What I'm more getting at, though, is the trapezoidal shape...the bottom of the hoof should be more or less parallel with the coronary band.

If you take off only the excess hoof wall, you'll get excess sole growth in the toe over time..  Eventually, you get the 'elf shoe' effect.


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## aggieterpkatie (May 18, 2010)

cmjust0 said:
			
		

> If you take off only the excess hoof wall, you'll get excess sole growth in the toe over time..  Eventually, you get the 'elf shoe' effect.


Right, that's why I trim the toe.  I just thought you meant you were trimming the sides of the heel.


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