hoof care, what do you do?

[Jann]

Hearing all sorts of great ideas here.
[applause]
I wouldnt even dream of working on a goat that is not on my elevated work stand. Ouch on the back for sure without it.

Mary good plan on the gravel around the barn!

I have a bobcat and an area I gather new dirt from and just add new layers each year to the barn area. They eventaully get scraped away as the cleaning goes on.

I would like to hear more about this sheetwall plainer! That sounds interesting!!!

[Skippy]

Jan, yes! I also love getting new ideas, or new twists to old ideas from our discussions. [wink] [biggrin]

[Skippy]

Another good link:

http://fiascofarm.com/goats/hoof-trim-rf.htm

[MichiganEllyMay]

When I did hooves without having a stand, I think it was days before I could walk right after that. Any sort of stand that you can get them up onto a couple feet will help while you trim and your back will thank you for it.

I normallly try to plan my trimming after a days rain as that has the hooves a bit softer to make it somewhat easier. I have a tool that I used on boats that I clean the dirt out from the hoof overgrowth and then a stiff brush so that I have a clear view of the frog (sole) of the foot.

Using pruners I trim the hoof wall back, trim up the heel, and then to the front where it takes a little more looking as the previous posts mention that you want to keep the line at the top of the hoof at the pastern so that their gait is properly aligned.

For those hooves that are more neglected I try to space the trimmings out a few days to a week. If you start trimming and you see a pinkness to the hoof, stop there and wait several days and check it again.

I keep a spray bottle of bleach water in my trimming bucket and give that as a final spritz too their hooves before they jump off the stand.

[Dawnie]

Here are some links that helped me learn how to do it. The videos were helpful but not very good lol.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt...l%3Den%26sa%3DN


http://www.infovets.com/healthysmrm/C322.HTM

[Rhayden]

I have twp gaots does I turn them on their back and do the hooves but One has horns and I am bruises up when I get done. I look like I got in fight and lost the battle. The other one tries to bite me but she rarely gets me. The thrush stuff you talk of I have seen something for thrush it is purple but it was for horses is this what you are talking of???

What do you do when it is very wet out how do you do your goats, we get so weyt out here NC that you can sink up to your knees in it sometimes.

I can't get to my goats sometimes when they need the hooves done.

Rhayden

[Classicironman]

what i get is green but i think it comes in several colors but yes mam its for horses.
i feel for you the muddy ground i have a couple of areas here that way also. you may want to clean their feet with 1/2 bleach 1/2 water solution and a brush before applying the thrush. just hold it up for a few seconds. it dries really fast.

[Rhayden]

THANKS!!!!

Rhayden