Learning how to trim a goat’s hooves is a critical part of keeping goats. In the wild, goats naturally wear their hooves down by jumping on rocks and climbing cliffs. Domesticated goats raised on pasture however, require a little more maintenance. How often I have to trim my herd’s hooves varies depending on the time of year, if they’re in milk and consuming more grain, and varies from goat to goat. Back hooves also typically tend to grow faster, and typically need to be trimmed more often than the front. Due to our rocky New England landscape, in the summer months hoof trimming generally doesn’t need to be done as often as the winter months due to them naturally wearing as they hop around on the rocks. However, my Nubian Ruby who is not as agile as my Nigerians doesn’t do a whole lot of rock hopping, and I have to trim her hooves more frequently than the other girls.
Neglecting hoof trimming has detrimental health effects. Goats can develop hoof rot, hoof wall separation, joint and pastern issues, and eventually lameness. I can’t emphasize its importance enough, and it is part of the responsibility of keeping goats. I am not a veterinarian nor a farrier, and some may trim their goat’s hooves a little different than I do. I am also not perfect, and sometimes I totally space and forget to trim them for a while! But, I have been doing it for a few years now and have never had any hoof issues. So I like to think that I know what I’m doing!
Tools Needed
To give your goat a proper hoof trimming you don’t need many supplies. You need a sharp pair of clippers, a brush/pick combo, and a milk stand to get the job done. If you don’t have a milk stand, then I suggest you have a helper that can hold/restrain the goat for you while you trim. But a milk stand is where it is at.
I got my clippers and brush/pick from my local farmers co-op. I got whatever they happened to have on hand, and I’ve had them for a couple of years. I highly recommend you don’t go too cheap on the clippers, as they won’t cut as cleanly/easily and have a tendency to stick. A good pair of clippers are worth their weight in gold!
Anatomy of a Hoof
In order to properly trim a goat’s hoof, you need to have a handle on the anatomy and know what a properly trimmed hoof looks like. When a hoof is trimmed correctly, the sole will be cleaned of any debris with the inner and outer hoof wall flush to the the sole. There should be no overlap of the inner or outer wall over the sole. The soft heel should be trimmed so it is flush with the toe, and overall the hoof should have a square appearance while the goat is standing as opposed to a lengthy toe.
Before and Afters
Front Hoof
In the before photo there was some manure getting packed in between the sole and the wall of the hoof while the wall was growing out and sticking above the level of the sole. In the after photo the manure was brushed and picked out, hoof wall was trimmed back level with the sole, the soft heel was trimmed, and the toe was rounded out.
Rear Hoof
In the before photo there was some manure getting packed in between the sole and the wall of the hoof while the wall was growing out beginning to curl over the sole. The soft heel was also overgrown and wasn’t level with the toe. In the after photo the manure was brushed and picked out, hoof wall was trimmed back level with the sole, the soft heel was trimmed, and the toe was rounded out. Within a day all of the jagged cut marks the clippers make will be smoothed out through normal wear.
Side View Hoof
In the before photo the toe is slightly elongated causing too much of an angle in the hoof. The toe was rounded out and trimmed back along with the hoof wall which in the after photo creates a boxier appearance in the hoof.
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