Proper Hoof Trimming Complete Guide
Hoof trimming is an essential part of sheep and goat management. Flocks should be checked on a regular basis for hoof growth. Keeping hooves short and in good condition is very important because lame goat will be lose condition. Where animals travel across hard or stony ground their hooves tend to wear and require no trimming.
Overgrown hooves may make walking painful, predispose the animal to other foot and leg problems, and competing for feed difficult. This may cause sheep and goats to stop eating and exercising.
Animals with overgrown hooves are also very susceptible to joint and tendon problems and arthritis. Also, breeding animals use their hind legs during mating; mating and reproductive performance of a flock may seriously be affected if hooves of breeding males are not trimmed.
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Procedure for Proper Hoof Trimming
Hooves are trimmed with sharp knife or foot clippers as follows
Restrain the goat in either sitting or standing position
Take one leg and clean the soil and any loose material from under and between the hoof.
Clip or slice away the excess nail on the outside of the hoof until it is the same height as the inside. Cut thin slice until confident enough to avoid cutting the soft tissue because bleeding and discomfort to the goat.
The heel should also be trimmed to the same height.
If the hoof is very long it will not be possible to trim it to an ideal shape at one trimming session. Where the hoof is peeling away at the side, remove any loose materials but do not clip up side to expose the soft tissue.
After trimming treat the feet with either
Iodine; (b). Antibiotic spray (c) 10% solution of formalin or copper sulphate.
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