Trimming Goat Hooves
Learning to trim your goat's hooves is one of the basic skills required for keeping goats. For most goat owners, trimming goat hooves is something that needs to be done about 8-12 times a year so it is a good skill to master. In this post, I will take you step-by-step through the hoof-trimming process. I will show the anatomy of a hoof, how to properly trim it, and what to do if you accidentally cut too deep.
Goat hoof basics
Unlike horses that have a single solid hoof, a goat's hoof is separated into two main hooves. This split hoof is called a cloven hoof. These hooves can move independently of each other like 2 digits. Goats also have two secondary hooves called the dewclaws. These dewclaws are located higher up on the pastern, or "ankle". These hooves are not meant for walking, but help the goat with traction as it climbs mountain cliffs. Dewclaws do not need to be trimmed.
Goats have an amazing ability to climb, grip, and maneuver their hooves. This gives them the ability to balance in the most unlikely of places... narrow mountain cliffs and steep, rocky ledges.
A goat's hooves grow continuously throughout its life. Like a fingernail, goat hooves are made of keratin. Also like a fingernail, there are parts of the hoof wall that are dead and can be trimmed, and there are sections of the hoof that are connected to flesh and have a blood supply and nerve endings (the quick).
Why don't wild goats need their hooves trimmed?
A goat's natural environment is high on mountain cliffs and rocky edges. These surfaces work like sandpaper constantly filling the goat's hooves down. When goats are placed in a pasture setting with soft, lush grass and stalls filled with soft bedding, there's not much to wear down the excess hoof growth. This means we, as goat keepers, must keep their hooves trimmed.
How often should I trim my goat's hooves?
Depending on where you live and the type of terrain your goats live in, the time between hoof trims can vary. Nutrition, mineral intake, breed, and other factors also play a part. Our wethers tend to need trimming more than our does and bucks. We also notice that the back hooves are usually longer than the front hooves on all our goats.
But to give you an idea; every 3 to 6 weeks.
What does an overgrown hoof look like?
A better way to judge if your goat's hooves need to be trimmed is to learn what an overgrown hoof looks like. An overgrown hoof will start to resemble "elf toes". The tips of the hooves will lengthen and tip upward. The sides of the hoof might also fold under or roll out.
Overgrown hooves can cause:
-hoof rot
-improper gait (how the goat walks)
-damage to the joints of the pastern (ankle) and knee
-bone damage
-lameness
Hoof health
In addition to proper trimming, there are other things you can do to help keep your goat's hooves at their healthiest.
Balanced nutrition and adequate minerals: Hoof health begins inside. Healthy robust animals will grow healthy hooves. They will also grow hooves faster, so healthy animals may need their hooves trimmed more often. Minerals play a big role in hoof growth. It's also important to make sure your goats are getting the correct amount of protein in their diet.
Clean, dry bedding: Keeping stalls and living areas mucked out often will limit the hoof's exposure to dampness and bacteria. It will also help limit manure getting impacted in the hoof which can cause infection.
Dry pasture: prolonged wetness and dampness can penetrate the hoof wall and cause brittleness and cracking/peeling. Bacteria can enter and this is a prime recipe for hoof rot.
Inspect pasture: If you're introducing goats to new pastures, or if you use your goats to clear overgrown areas, be sure to check the ground for broken glass, barbed wire, and anything else that could cause injury to the hooves. When we moved to our farm, the field where our goats now reside was filled with broken glass, old pottery, and barbed wire. It all had to be collected before we could let our animals on the field.
What is Hoof Rot?
Hoof rot is primarily caused by one of these two bacteria:
- Fusobacterium necrophorum.
- Dichelobacter nodosus.
These two bacteria live in the soil and thrive in damp conditions. They can enter the hoof through a cut, split, or through weak soft tissue. The bacteria can also embed in the folds of overgrown hooves or can affect the interdigital space, the V-shaped area where the hooves meet the skin. (see the anatomy drawing).
I have a post coming on diseases of the hooves, how to diagnose them, and what to do about each.
Training your goats to get their hooves trimmed
Start young. We try to stanchion train our goats at a young age. Get them on the stanchion and give them treats. This will help your goats associate the stanchion with good things. Once they know to get on the stanchion with little prompting. Begin lifting the goat's legs off the stanchion, just hold it there and give lots of treats. Within reason, do not let go if the goat starts kicking away. If they learn that you let go when they kick, they will always kick. Do this until the goat is comfortable with you holding its pastern.
When you do trim, error on the side of caution. It's better to have a hoof that is too long than to accidentally nick the quick and cause pain. Especially in the first trims. You don't want the goat to associate hoof trimming with pain.
Supplies
Stanchion: or a way to harness your goat and keep it from moving. A stanchion really is best because it lifts the goat up a bit off the ground which is easier for the trimmer.
Hoof clippers: There are a lot of different options for hoof clippers. Mostly it comes down to preference. We have a pair of actual hoof clippers, but my husband prefers to use these pruning shears meant for trees. A skilled trimmer might even use a pocket knife.
Ferrier's rasp: This is optional. It's a good way to take off a little material at a time. You can also smooth out a rough spot with a rasp.
Hoof pick: This is also optional. We use the tip of our shears to carve out impacted manure and debris, but you may like a hoof pick. A popsicle stick can also be used. Anything that can scrape the hoof gently.
Styptic powder, or corn starch: This is used to stop bleeding in case you cut too deeply.
Shallow disposable cup: To put the styptic powder or corn starch in.
Vetericyn Wound Spray or iodine
Understanding where to trim
If you are new to hoof trimming or are at all uncomfortable with the process, I suggest that you find an experienced goat keeper in your area and ask if they can mentor you through your first few trims. You can also call your veterinarian and ask for assistance.
As you can see from the photo above, a goat's hoof is shaped like two teardrops. At the widest part of the teardrop is the heel pad. As the hoof grows this pad will fold over (see green arrows above). Around the perimeter of the teardrop is the hoof wall. This area also grows and if not worn down, it will fold inward or outward (red arrows). If the hoof folds outward, it will often split.
The center of the hoof is the soul. The goal of trimming the hoof is to trim the heel pad and the hoof wall even with the soul. The soul of the hoof has a shallow area of rubbery, white dead tissue that protects the quick (the area underneath with nerves and blood supply). Some of the soul will be trimmed as you trim the outer hoof wall. To check the depth of your trim, know that the outer layer is white, then it becomes translucent, then pink, and then you will hit blood.
The more overgrown the hoof, the further the quick will have grown into the "dead" tissue. It's better to do frequent, shallow trims than to cut off large areas all at once. As the hoof is trimmed, the quick will recede, allowing the hoof to be trimmed more on the next trim.
How to trim
We begin by getting out goat up on the stanchion. I like to portion out her grain by the handful so she stays content throughout her time on the stanchion.
We begin by trimming away the folded sections on the sides.
The white tissue means we're in the safe zone.
As we remove material we use the end of the shears to clean out the impacted debris under the soul. You can use a hoof pick for this as well.
Trim the other side of the hoof.
Then we trim the flapped-over area of the heel.
We save to the toe for last and cut the excess point that is clear to see now that the sides are trimmed.
Now the other hoof section.
This hoof could actually use a bit more trimming. She has some old layers that need to be cleaned up, but because we don't want to go too deep, we will work on this in future trims.
Her hoof wall is flush with the hoof pad. The toes aren't rolling over. The tips of the hoof are not extending, curling, or excessively pointing. She is good for this trim. Now we repeat on the other 3 hooves.
Check the hoof angle
As you trim occasionally check the angle of the hoof. You want a rhombus shape (shown in red below) when the goat stands. An improper angle can affect the way the goat stands and walks.
What if I cut too deep
Occasionally you will knick the quick and the hoof will begin to bleed. Have some cornstarch or styptic powder handy in a shallow cup.
I spray the hoof with wound spray and then press the goat hoof into the cup of cornstarch. You will need to hold it for about a minute. Check the hoof and see if any blood is seeping through the starch. If yes, repeat until the bleeding stops.
Check the hoof over the next few days for infection. You can give an additional treatment of wound spray until the hoof is healed.
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