I trimmed hooves today!

I just bought a pair of goats. Can they be rasped the same as horses hooves? I have a good rasp and have done the horses for years. I've never used the nippers on hooves so I'm a bit nervous about using nippers instead of a rasp.

I use a utility knife or as I call it a zacto knive to trim mine with. I just use a fresh new blade every time and it slices it right off. Works much better than my trimmers for me.

Hoeggers sells a rasp specifically for using on hooves -- I haven't used it, but I'm sure it works just as well on goats as on horses. Be careful, though, because if you get too deep into the hoof and make it bleed, it hurts and they limp for a couple of days.

Kathleen

Thanks Kathleen, I went out today and messed with them a bit. They let me pick up a leg and run my fingers around the hoof. They didn't seem to mind much, but it might be different when I start using the rasp. I'll have to go slow and do a little at a time. Their hooves are curled under a lot, they look like they're walking on tiptoe. Also, their front hooves are separated with a wide V shape. I will post pictures if needed.

The few pics I've found on the web make me think this is not normal. Is this a sign of something I should be aware of and take steps to correct? Can it be corrected? Is it genetic or caused by hooves needing to be trimmed? They run and jump and are very active so they are not in pain or lame. They seem to be happy and healthy, but the wide gap in the front hooves concerns me now that I've looked at pictures that show no gaps like that in other goats.

I guess my lack of goat knowledge is showing in this post. I'll probably have a million questions in the coming weeks and months.

I believe you can affect the goat's leg muscles by letting the hooves get too grown out.
I personally wouldn't rasp, unless it was to smooth out a rough edge that I couldn't get with the hoof trimmers. I also probably wouldn't use a utility knife as one poster suggested. One slip with a struggling animal could really cut deep on either the goat or the handler.

Get a good pair of hoof trimmers from here:

http://hoeggergoatsupply.com/xcart/p...8&cat=0&page=1

You don't need the hoof plane---once the horny part of the hoof is trimmed to the right level, the heel will wear down on its own.

Go to this site for a great step-by-step on hoof trimming. And lots of other really good information on goat husbandry!

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

Note that this site recommends the orange handled hoof trimmers available from the Hoegger's catalog. They state that they wouldn't use anything else!

HTH!

Happy hoof trimming!

Take some sand paper and fold it in half so that the rough side is on the outside.......now cut thru the sand paper several times with your trimmers......sharpens 'em right up. (works for scissors too).

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Thanks!