# Goat Hoof Trimming



## elevan

We get enough questions about hoof trimming that I thought it would be a good idea to start a thread where we can share videos, pictures or tips on hoof trimming.

Here is a good instruction video from YouTube for trimming hooves:


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## SDBoerGoats

Excellent hoof trimming video. That is how I learned to trim my goats, no one around here trimmed goats or knew how. I read books but I need to SEE it done. I searched youtubes and learned from that. But this video is even better. Thanks for posting. She is a lot more aggressive than I am in trimming, I am always afraid of taking off too much.


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## hcppam

Thank you that was great, I'm going down to see my doe tomorrow and that was on my list.


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## craftymama86

Great video! I hate to admit it but I've put this off b/c I've never trimmed hooves before but after watching this I feel confident that I can do it.... Now I just need some hoof trimmers.


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## Cabinchick

Just trimmed my three myotonic doelings hooves for the first time. THANK YOU for this video link. The breeder gave me a demo but she lives 9 hours away from me. The video gave a better explanation of what the hooves should look like when trimmed, and after watching the video I wasn't as nervous.


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## Queen Mum

Wonderful video!
THANKS!


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## KFaye

Great Video! Thank you so much. Read books but nothing like watching the real thing. Thank you.


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## Straw Hat Kikos

Good video. I just want to tell everybody that reads this that trimming hooves isn't very hard. I know alot of people that is/was scared to trim their goats hooves. I was scared at first too. After a time or two you get the hang of it. If you have small goats, like Pygmys or Nigerians, then you can flip them on their sides and gently sit on them it is very easy. The don't try and get up and run, so it only takes a minute or two. With bigger goats, like Kikos or Boers, it is a little harder because you need to have them standing as you trim the hooves. When they're standing the like to kick and move. It can be a bit challenging. Good luck to all the first timers! Remember after a time or two, you'll have it down!


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## NannaSue

Thank-you SO much for your well made instructional video!  You make it look easy.
I don't feel quite so timid to trim my Pygmies' and Nigi's hooves now.  What kind of sheers/clippers do you and everyone use?  Anybody want to brag about their favorite equipment?  I would enjoy advice.   I want to get a good pair of the hoof trimmers, that are comfortable; I've a bit hand pain with too much use.
I've found some hoof trimmers online at Hoegger Supply Co. and Jeffers Livestock. and can't make up my mind.  Should I go for the higher priced pair?  Also, a hoof plane is suggested.  Do you have another video showing how to use this? Or can recommend where I should go to find this info?
I have two "grade"Pygmies, mother &daughter, and one registered Nigi doeling out of Dean's Funny Farm.  We have 1&1/2acres of very, very rocky semi arid West Texas land.  The two Pygmy Does hooves have seemed ok on the rough ground, but the baby's hooves look like I will need to trim.  
I enjoy coming to 'MyBackyardHerd' as a newbie and reading all the great posts.
NannaSue


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## terrilhb

Thank you so much. My DH has been using a file because we were scared to cut them. I am going to get some shears and get it done.


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## KFaye

I don't know about anyone else...it isn't IF you saw this video it is how many times did you watch the video  Thank you so very much!


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## Straw Hat Kikos

NannaSue said:
			
		

> Thank-you SO much for your well made instructional video!  You make it look easy.
> I don't feel quite so timid to trim my Pygmies' and Nigi's hooves now.  What kind of sheers/clippers do you and everyone use?  Anybody want to brag about their favorite equipment?  I would enjoy advice.   I want to get a good pair of the hoof trimmers, that are comfortable; I've a bit hand pain with too much use.
> I've found some hoof trimmers online at Hoegger Supply Co. and Jeffers Livestock. and can't make up my mind.  Should I go for the higher priced pair?  Also, a hoof plane is suggested.  Do you have another video showing how to use this? Or can recommend where I should go to find this info?
> I have two "grade"Pygmies, mother &daughter, and one registered NDDG doeling out of Dean's Funny Farm.  We have 1&1/2acres of very, very rocky semi arid West Texas land.  The two Pygmy Does hooves have seemed ok on the rough ground, but the baby's hooves look like I will need to trim.
> I enjoy coming to 'MyBackyardHerd' as a newbie and reading all the great posts.
> NannaSue


You can never go wrong spending the extra money and getting the more expensive one. Don't go cheap. These are the one I use (mine are black though) and I love them. Not a very good picture of them, but here you go. 
http://www.caprinesupply.com/products/goat-management/general-management/hoof-rot-shears.html


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## spunkey daisy

Great video thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## SusanRVT

Thanks for the video, very helpful to see the trimming being done!  I'm sure my goats will appreciate me being a little better educated when I go to trim for the first time


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## NannaSue

Straw Hat Kikos,  thanks for the tip!
Sue


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## SassyKat6181

This video is great.  The breeder showed me how to trim when I picked my Nigi girls up a month ago.  I just trimmed them last week and it wasn't too bad.  I think if you keep up with the trimming, there won't be so much to cut back.  I am afraid to cut too much.  Obviously the woman in the video has a lot of experience and knew where to trim to, but I would have been in over my head with that one.  A word of advice she gave me was to cross the back legs, which gives them support while trimming and keeps them from kicking out.  My girls are little, so they sat in my lap.


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## goat500

really good vidio


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## willowgem

That was a great instructional video...I'm not nearly as apprehensive about giving it a try now.
My boys are a little over 3 months old, and it looks like they may need a trim soon.

Another thing I never realized was how soft goat hooves actually are, as opposed to cattle and horses.  :/


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## BootsNDaisy

I can't see your video??? The link isn't there? I could use the advise on hoof trimming. My goats need it!


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## elevan

BootsNDaisy said:
			
		

> I can't see your video??? The link isn't there? I could use the advise on hoof trimming. My goats need it!


The video is embedded into the first post of this thread. 

If you cannot see the video, try refreshing your browser or clearing your cache.


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## BootsNDaisy

Thank you! Yes, had to change browsers. Very helpful video! That was very nice of you to take the time to make it and show everyone!


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## elevan

Glad you could view.  I cannot however take credit for the making of it - only the sharing of it


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## Lizzielou118

Thank you for showing this video! Great info, I wish I had seen this when I first started with my goats  What a time I had!!


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## FussBudget

Thank YOU!





			
				elevan said:
			
		

> We get enough questions about hoof trimming that I thought it would be a good idea to start a thread where we can share videos, pictures or tips on hoof trimming.
> 
> Here is a good instruction video from YouTube for trimming hooves:
> [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugMu_c2lGyI[/youtube]


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## flylo

Hoof Trimmers:
The ones in the video look like the ones I've always used. You may go through a number of styles before you settle on the ones you like. These are light weight garden trimmers. Teflon coated blades, and the blades are really short. They stay sharp 'forever', and both sides of the blades are sharp. Don't get the anvil style garden trimmers, with one sharp blade and one flat dull blade.
I think Caprine Supply carries the ones I like.

flylo

OH, I forgot!!  a rasp is also handy if you have goat hooves that have gotten tough and really grown out or over on themselves. You may not be able to take the toe all the way back in one session. A hoof rasp (or plane) will help smooth rough spots and get both toes equally flat. 
For goats with feet that are a lot harder to cut, a soak in warm water will help soften them so they're somewhat easier to trim. And, take advantage of any rainfall that will help to soften tough goat hooves. Don't despair if you're only able to take a sliver or so off at a time. The more you handle the feet and the goat realizes you're not hurting her/him., the more they'll allow you to work with them.

Note: I don't have goats now!!  I've raised dairy goats from the mid 1980's to 2001. Now that I'm retired, I've decided to get a couple of doelings and raise them up to be our future milkers. Mid April, (hopefully!!) I'll be the proud owner of 2 Saanen doelings.
I am remembering things I thought I'd forgotten after all these years. So nice to know there is a great online goat community now.


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## madcow

I've only trimmed my goats hooves a few times, but what I've found to be a great help is to first nip about 1/4-inch off the point of the long tip of the hoof first. This will allow you to see if there is any dirt/poo lodged at the tip of the hoof and then make it easier to get out with the tip of the shears.  This also then gives you a starting place to get the tip of the shears under any curled under edges and trim them easier.  It kind of gives you a starting place is what it does.  You can trim back the tip a little more once you run out of places to put your shear tips until you reach the bottom of the hoof and until you see where to stop cutting at the hoof bed tissue.  I was really proud of my last trimming for my goats, because their hooves all were flat to the ground again and they looked normal for a change.  They were somewhat overgrown, but not really badly, but I couldn't believe how much better they looked.  We found that my husband could hold the kids we have that are about 10 and 7 weeks old in his lap and it was easy to give them their first trim this way.  Even the little ones can begin to get overgrown hooves pretty quickly if they are on soft ground like ours are all of the time.  I want to put a u[ cinder block tower or platform in the pen for them to climb on so that they will keep their hooves from growing as fast and not needing trims so quickly.  I would love to have a large boulder, but of course that isn't in the budget at this point.  Anyway, hope this helps everyone get over some of their fear when they are trimming hooves.  It's really very easy, just have to get the goats to cooperate.  I put mine on the stanchion to hold them and it works really well.  Good luck everyone!


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## PendergrassRanch

I wish my goats would sit still like that.  They are small, but they are mighty! I have to pretty much sit on them and they still get the best of me.


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## bj taylor

I just got my first little goat herd.  they're boer/myotonic.  the doe is 1 1/2 yr & the doelings are 3 mo.  I can't imagine them being still enough to trim their hooves.  i'm going to get the shears, but I also am intrigued by the cinder block tower as a way of them keeping their hooves down a little.


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## farmgirl01

Very good video.


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## chicken pickin

This is a good thread. And I enjoyed the video. WHen I picked up my doelings I had the breeder show me how to trim the hooves. She trimmed one of my girls and it seems easy though Im nervous at how squirmy they are and very nervous to trim too much or not clean all the crud out. Im going to try it soon since my second kid didn't get a trim that day so I need to go buy my trimmers and give it a whirl. I am really hoping to give them a rock pile of some sort to wear there hooves. And other ideas for natural wear?


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## Ruus

chicken pickin said:
			
		

> And other ideas for natural wear?


I know a man who made a long gravel corridor that his animals had to walk down to get to the water, and he never had to trim hooves. Might be a good idea if your setup allows for it.


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## chicken pickin

I just trimmed my goats hooves for the very first time Im not sure how good I did. I was so afraid to cut too low or not cut them at the right angle so I didn't cut too much off. I also wasn't sure if I was supposed to cut the heel down or leave it be, I did end up trimming the heel.I hope I didn't do anything wrong. I think I did ok and both goats luckily were very behaved one didn't even budge. I got them both done in less than 10 mins. Im hoping each time gets easier and I learn better how to cut them down.


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## elevan

It'll get easier each time you do it.

And yes, trimming the heel is sometimes required.  It just depends on the specific goat and how the heel is wearing.  Because we don't live in a rocky environment I found that I needed to trim the heels each time with most of my goats.


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## BHOBCFarms

Where do you buy your hoof plane?


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## elevan

I've never had need of a hoof plane....just the hoof trimmers.  Though it's listed as an essential tool in the video, I don't truly think that it's needed if you have a good pair of sharp trimmers.

eta:  If you wanted to buy one, however, I would go here .


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## HoneyDreameMomma

Anyone have ideas/advice on how to handle goats with a large quick in their hooves?  I have one doe whose hooves always look too pointed and long to me, but when I trim them, I go right up to the pink (last time I was close enough I worried about hitting the quick and making her bleed).  Having slightly longer, pointed hooves won't cause damage to her feet will it?  Sometimes her 'toes' seem to spread and I wonder.  I made the hooves as clean as possible; no curling of the hoof underneath or anything like that.


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## TwinMapleRanch

I just found this video on another site a few days ago and immediately ordered the shears.  This video makes it so easy to do it yourself with confidence!


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## Tea Chick

Great video!  Thanks for sharing!!!
My dad always did it with his pocket knife; I'm not that brave, but that was how I'd seen it done until now.


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## taylorm17

I leanred form just looking up how to trim off of youtube! great videos there if you find a clear one. Another tip. ALWAYS USE FOOD. seriously goats are curious little guys that can't stand still...unless there is food.


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## BackyardChickenLady

elevan said:


> We get enough questions about hoof trimming that I thought it would be a good idea to start a thread where we can share videos, pictures or tips on hoof trimming.
> 
> Here is a good instruction video from YouTube for trimming hooves:
> [youtube]


I don't get a specific video when I click the link...has it been deleted or something?


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## elevan

BackyardChickenLady said:


> I don't get a specific video when I click the link...has it been deleted or something?


I've re-embedded the video to the first post.  Go ahead and go back to that post and you can view it straight from there.  Thanks!


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## BackyardChickenLady

elevan said:


> I've re-embedded the video to the first post.  Go ahead and go back to that post and you can view it straight from there.  Thanks!


Got it thanks! Great video tutorial!


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## GrovelandBromos

Definitely gives me the confidence to go trim for the first time! Lets see how this goes!

*went pretty well!* 
I need to invest in better shears but it definitely was time for a trim. The man I bought them from (they were 5 or 6 months old) had never trimmed them, so I was expecting to have to do a lot of work but it wasnt too bad. Of my three, Stella was the worst, screaming like I was trying to butcher her. Patrice was surprisingly the best, despite the fact she is the most skittish and never really lets me touch or handle her! I did see a little blood, so I know I need to just watch it and make sure it's clean. Do I clean it with anything special? I feel like I remember seeing peroxide but not sure.


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## Goat Whisperer

@GrovelandBromos

Good job in giving them a hoof trim! 

Yeah, sometimes goats will act like you are killing them 

I put mine in a milk stand and trim their hooves, but I have also put them on their side. When I use the stand, I give them some feed or hay. The behave a lot better that way 

I wouldn't worry to much about the blood. I use styptic powder (like Kwik Stop-its for dogs, cats & Birds) when I cut to far. I have never had an issue with infection etc.

As far as the hoof trimmers... I really like the "Silverline" trimmers. I have used sooooooo many different shears. This one is by far the best. It is SUPER sharp, and doesn't dull easily. It also has little grooves so dirt has a place to go so dirt doesn't stay on the blade.
You can order it here-
https://goatsupplies.netfirms.com/hoof.html
They are very nice folks!


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## GrovelandBromos

Thanks a lot @Goat Whisperer! Those definitely will be better than the ones I have. Also really like looking at all the other fun stuff!

Also good to know about the bleeding. I figured it wouldn't be a huge deal because it was barely a drop of blood. But i definitely would rather be safe than sorry just starting out! 

I need to build a milk stand, so I've been studying the milk stand thread haha. But yeah, I really want to build it sooner than later so that I'm not kneeling on the garage floor or basically laying on it with the goats between my legs. It was interesting that's for sure!


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## outdoorhoney

Thank you, thank you! This video was so helpful. I've been putting off trimming my does hooves (I know, I'm horrible) mainly because I don't have hoof trimmers but also because I'm so nervous about messing up and causing an accident. They were trimmed from the owners before us but it has been getting to be that time again to cut. Trimming the cats and dogs nails has always been my husbands job because I'm so bad at getting them to let me come near them with clippers. The goats have been much more tolerable with me touching their feet than my husband, so this may end up being my job. I feel much more confident about it now!


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## KaliMoran

Amateur question that might be answered somewhere in this thread:  HOW often should you trim a goat's hooves?


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## Goat Whisperer

It depends. Some absolutely hate that answer but here are a few things that play a role.

Breed of goat, genetics, weather, terrain, and feed.

Some breeds of goats like the boer are known for having hooves that grow like crazy. Other breeds, like the Kiko may not need their hooves trimmed for over a year. Genetics play a big factor too.

If you have a lot of big rocks in your pasture you probably wont need to trim as often. 

Feed, that is a huge role in hooves too. My one doe for example hardly ever needed her hooves trimmed but she only ate grass hay and pasture at that time, she had a good weight so she didn't need feed. Once she freshened and I put her on a 20% protein feed and her hooves started to grow rather quickly.

With all that being said, just keep an eye on the hooves and once you see them starting to get overgrown that is when you need to trim. Every goat is different and only you will know how often to trim  How many goats do you have?


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## nstone630

Newish to goats and have not had to do this yet. I believe my male Boer goat needs it done. I've watched the video, very nice! But, I know for a fact he is not going to sit there as nicely as her goat in the video did. It takes my husband and myself to hold him just for medication purposes. Thank goodness he has horns to hold otherwise I'm not sure we would be able to get a good grip on him. 

Tips on securing your goat with out causing any pain to him/her to get them to hold still to do something like this?????


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## Goat Whisperer

I put them in a head gate/milkstand. If you don't have one you can tie him to a post with some goodies for him to eat. I was able to trim my 200lb lamancha buck's hooves by doing it this way. It they are smaller you can just flip them on their side and sit over them (Don't put your full weight on them! a little is fine). Putting a blindfold on a wild goat can help keep them calm.


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## Jeremy W

Good video it's not hard to trim their hooves might want to watch on the it hind feet if there not used to being trimmed they do like to kick !!


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## ragdollcatlady

For those that don't have a milk stand, I use a collar and dog leash, tied securely to a fence with only about 6-10 inches of lead available for movement (any less room for movement seems to panic animals that aren't used to being on a lead). I have my helper, put weight or pressure enough to keep the goat securely up against the fence or "braced" against the knee/leg of my helper depending on the animals temperament. My helper pets and talks to the goats helping to keep them calm during the procedure. I am able to trim even my big boer boys hooves this way.


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## MrsKuhn

THANK YOU!!! 

This is going to be soooooo much help when we get our two babies. First time mama here  and I am not sure i have someone close by to mentor me and teach me how to do this. still a little scary but it can't much worse than dog nails.... right?


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## The Old Ram-Australia

G'day,watched the video,a very good presentation the only comment I would offer is that you don't have to achieve "perfect " in one gn white hoofed animals the "horn" is very soft and in both sheep and goats if they are on "soft" ground it will grow and "roll-over"on the edges,the inside is not as quick ,stay away as much as you can from the "heel".On very wet country you can have the hoof itself get quite "spongy" but a dry environment will soon firm it up.I doubt anyone with "stony land" will have a problem as it wears down naturally.

Most new feet trimmers have a fear of cutting to deep and making it "bleed",so start slowly and the inner horn will naturally "retreat" thus reducing the risk of bleeding...T.O.R.


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## Farmer Connie

We have to do hoofs a lot. One our males seems to grow faster than the rest as well. We also placed a few boulder rocks in a row so to speak. The younger ones like to jump from rock to rock, naturally filing away the growth. It is always a chore to schedule all in a day so we try to keep up on it to make it less a chore. Sometimes if your goats aren't active, their hoofs are uncomfortable. Regular hoof trimming will keep your herd active and hopping.
Good thread. Thanks for letting me join in!
Fc


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## Daisygoat

We have three Boer goats and two of them have long hoofs. We try to trim them down but usually only manage to trim maybe two hoofs as they are a handful and tend to get antsy so the task has gotten almost too much for hubs and me! Those goats are starting to limp a bit and we want to get them taken care of soon! Any idea on how to hire someone to do this for us? Can't seem to find anyone around us that does this any more. We live in north central Indiana. Thx for any advice or help.


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## Mary Brookhart

SDBoerGoats said:


> Excellent hoof trimming video. That is how I learned to trim my goats, no one around here trimmed goats or knew how. I read books but I need to SEE it done. I searched youtubes and learned from that. But this video is even better. Thanks for posting. She is a lot more aggressive than I am in trimming, I am always afraid of taking off too much.


I'm afraid to trim...that i might take to much.  good video.


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## animalmom

@Mary Brookhart, you could use a hoof plane instead of clippers on hooves.  A plane takes a little off at a time. 

https://www.caprinesupply.com/hoof-plane.html

It is easy to use.  You do need to watch where your hands are in relation to the plane and hoof as it is easy to plane your hand at the same time.  Even with that caution, the plane is easy and you can't take too much off at one time.


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## Mary Brookhart

animalmom said:


> @Mary Brookhart, you could use a hoof plane instead of clippers on hooves.  A plane takes a little off at a time.
> 
> https://www.caprinesupply.com/hoof-plane.html
> 
> It is easy to use.  You do need to watch where your hands are in relation to the plane and hoof as it is easy to plane your hand at the same time.  Even with that caution, the plane is easy and you can't take too much off at one time.


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## Mary Brookhart

i will have to purchase.  i have arthritis in my hands so trimming is hard.  thank you.


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## The Old Ram-Australia

Mary Brookhart said:


> i will have to purchase.  i have arthritis in my hands so trimming is hard.  thank you.


G'day Mary,why not ask a friend/neighbor to give you a hand? It is not a job that you undertake on a weekly basis.Down here we (as in I) are lucky in that we have sandy/gravelly soils and so once the new sheep are trimmed properly the abrasive nature of the soils keep them pretty good.


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## Judy-Ron

Jeremy W said:


> Good video it's not hard to trim their hooves might want to watch on the it hind feet if there not used to being trimmed they do like to kick !!


LOL, yes they do kick.  But I make Hubby hold them upright so their spine is to his chest and just have him hold the leg I'm working on by the thigh.  That way they don't have the same range of movement if the leg was completely free.   That way nobody gets hurt... Works like a charm with two people.  If it's just you.. good luck.  I'd straddle the goat facing his rear and grab a leg from behind..  Good luck.....


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## messybun

I have a big goat with super tough hooves. What brand trimmer do you use? Mine won’t get through the thick nubs he grows. I’ve even tried pruning shears for a little extra bite, but they don’t cut it.


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## Alaskan

messybun said:


> I have a big goat with super tough hooves. What brand trimmer do you use? Mine won’t get through the thick nubs he grows. I’ve even tried pruning shears for a little extra bite, but they don’t cut it.


Have you tried a hoof knife?


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## messybun

Alaskan said:


> Have you tried a hoof knife?


I actually got one, and practiced on potatoes, but I didn’t feel comfortable trying it on him. For both his and my safety. But a friend of a friend started helping and they use a dremmel tool for some parts and heavy duty trimmer for the rest. They will actually dremmel down so they can cut through with trimmers too.


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## Alaskan

messybun said:


> I actually got one, and practiced on potatoes, but I didn’t feel comfortable trying it on him. For both his and my safety. But a friend of a friend started helping and they use a dremmel tool for some parts and heavy duty trimmer for the rest. They will actually dremmel down so they can cut through with trimmers too.


Interesting!

I have heard some people have had great success with dremels.... never tried one on a living beast.


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## messybun

Alaskan said:


> Interesting!
> 
> I have heard some people have had great success with dremels.... never tried one on a living beast.



He’s a really calm goat, but he hates his feet being played with, so we get him on his side and pin him. She takes her time to make sure not to get too far down, it usually take about 45 minutes. All I can say is his results are amazing and I wish I’d have taken pictures to chronicle. Oh, and we started using a horse hood conditioner called hoof flex because my goat’s hooves crack very badly. That’s also made them more supple to cut.


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