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Many people clip the feet of their goat at different times. Some people do it
every couple of weeks, which for those of us that show, that is great if you have a couple of goats to do.
For anyone that has a larger herd, that would be impractical. So some do
the feet every 30 to 45 days.
I guess it would depend on the area you live in and if the area you are in is rocky
or if you have a moister type of ground.
One of the other things I have noticed is that the older the goat is, the faster, it
seems to me, that their feet grow. This is just an observance on my part, not based upon any factual information, but
based upon my own goats.
| The foot can continue to grow and cause problems. |
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| Goats are browsers and need to be able to walk to forage for food. |
| A little trimming can go a long way. |
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| Some times it takes more than one trimming. |
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| When the foot is moiste, after a dew on the ground, it can be easier to trim. |
So when it comes to the actual triming, it is better to take a little at a time, then if you try to cut off
a large portion of the overgrown hoof.
The photos below are of a doe that is about 3-4 years old and it is apparent that she has been neglected when it comes
to her feet.
I bought her that way, and my Dad and I trimmed her feet until they were closer to where they needed to be.
As you can see by one of the last photos, she did get clipped a little too close and did bleed a little.
All you need is to have a little "blood stop" on hand to stop the bleeding. If you haven't clipped them too deep,
in a few minutes the bleeding stops anyway.
She can sure walk better than she could before.
Some people have different techniques when it comes to trimming feet. We use steel clippers that are sharp on both
sides. I have a short pair and a long pair. You may buy these at any goat supplier, but be sure you get a quality
pair. Cheap ones don't last long, and you wind up replacing them more often, so it is best to just
buy a good pair the first time.
I also use a small carpenter's plane to level out the foot.
Doing the goats feet takes patients, time, and practice.
One of the things you need to be careful of is when you cut the heel off, that you do not cut off too much of the heel,
otherwise it may make your goat look like it is weak on the back pasterns.
We like to trim the feet after there has been some moisture on the grass, that way the foot is softer when you try
to trim it.
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