So when was the last time you trimmed you fingernails? Are they getting a bit long? Did you know that goat and sheep hooves grow, just like your finger and toe nails? Well they do. With our sheep we have always trimmed their hooves annually, after they are sheared in early spring. However, with goats they grow quite a bit faster, so when I looked at their feet the other day it was quite a surprise!
So, off to the cabinet I went for the hoof trimmer. With our fancy new milking stand, we have the perfect place to trim our goats hooves, and they get a little snack at the same time. Trimming sheep and goat hooves is pretty easy (says the farm boy), you just trim the hard outer wall of the hoof down until it is flush with the "frog", which is the soft center part of the hoof. The heel of the hoof sometimes needs to get trimmed back a little bit as well to be level with the walls of the hoof. Sometimes there is a little excess growth between their "toes" as well that needs some trimming.
In no time our goats were as nimble as ever on their freshly trimmed hooves!
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