Hoof trimming day...

LFRJ · #1 12/01/12, 08:38 PM

...Oh the drama!

5 hours - 3 does done

(and 4 to go).

HOw do folks with large herds do it????

Minelson · #2 12/01/12, 08:41 PM

Oh my! What is going on? Why on earth would it take 5 hours to do 3!?

Goat Servant · #3 12/01/12, 09:15 PM

Maybe they took a long lunch break & counted that?

houndlover · #4 12/01/12, 09:41 PM

I have a chute that works wonders for catching sheep or goats. It's 4' wide, 10' long, 6' sides, and a gate on either end, one from their pen and the other goes to the pasture. A pan of food in the chute, open the gate, let one in, close the gate. Snub head up to the fence - I prefer to trim on the ground instead of a milking stand because I can go to either side and my milk stands have rails on the left hand side. Stand to one side, put my knee into their side and pin them to the fence, do the front foot. Straddle goat, grab back foot, place between my legs, snip snip. Do the other side same way. Don't put up with crap. Fighting goats and sheep get put on their side and I sit on them. You can't hurt a goat doing their feet. They scream because they're confined. Use ear plugs if necessary. Don't mess around trying to get them to be compliant, they hate it and the faster you do it, the quicker they get on with things. I can do a goat in 5 minutes or less, usually less. Sheep take longer because their feet are generally harder, but still, even with their chronically crazy behavior, it never takes more than 5 minutes.

Suzyq2u · #5 12/01/12, 10:06 PM

yikes! do you put them on a milk stand?

Backfourty,MI. · #6 12/01/12, 10:32 PM

I do 3 a day & only have 6 right now but even on the milk stand it kills my back. Want to get mine done one more time before the weather gets really bad.

southerngurl · #7 12/01/12, 10:34 PM

Sit on a bucket.

I don't know how it could take that long.. I imagine the goat must be fighting terribly? Try training the goat. Hold the foot, let the goat move the foot wherever it wants (except down to the ground) but just keep a hold of it, let your arm be lax. Once they quit fighting, let the hoof go. Repeat. Do this daily with all four feet for a few days and soon they will do much better with your handling their feet. I'd say I can trim a goat in about 5-10 minutes, depending on the goat.

LFRJ · #8 12/01/12, 11:04 PM

Well, to give you the picture it's all mud and muck here, and rained much of the day. No sense in waiting for a sunny day either.

Doe #1 kicks. A LOT. Getting her on the stand isn't a problem, but it takes 15 mins to trim one hoof since you carefully have to time every clip between kicks.

Ah, and I should mention - if it were only trimming. But oh no. In the muddy PacNW, you need a squirt bottle, a toothbrush and a pick to scrub and dig the mud out, just to SEE what you're doing ...in between kicks, of course. Finally, you can pick up the trimmers - Violent kicks - sharp pointed objects. Takes a while!

Doeling #2 will come IN to the milk she for grain, but won't get on the stand, so required a bit of chasing to get her locked down. Actually, that's understating it. It's only a 8X8ft milk shed, so at full speed, she was literally circling the walls - and knocking down everything in her wake, including the feed can, the garbage, the rack of goat supplies.... (and I thought only reindeer could fly!)

At last, secured on the stand it's repeat -squirt, brush dig, squirt, brush dig...NOW you can get to trimming. She inherited some of her mother's inclination to kick - but honestly, I think after the fiasco, she was too tired.

Before we proceed to doe #3, we need to pick up the shambles left behind.

Doe #3 is and always has been as spooked as a June hare. She won't come NEAR the milk shed - feed pan be ----ed! So we have to chase her around and around until she's cornered, collared, and DRAG her there. You see, she has an entirely different strategy: curl your legs up underneath yourself and LAY down! I might have been able to trim her where she was, but its raining, oh, and she doesn't slide uphill very well. Once inside, she continues to bury her feet under her hefty round body, and play dead. Never did manage to get her on the milk stand. I resorted to laying down on the floor with her and rolling her from side to side like a barrel to pry her legs out from under one by one. In the end, she was so filthy we had to brush and wipe her down with a towel.

NOw there's clean up, sweep up and finally done. As for we humans, we were wet, cold, smeared with filth - and so looking forward to round two tomorrow.

There. Does that help explain???

andabigmac · #9 12/01/12, 11:33 PM

That was an excellent mental image. I'm sorry they were naughty. Did you remember to threaten them with freezer camp?

Shygal · #10 12/01/12, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LFRJ

You see, she has an entirely different strategy: curl your legs up underneath yourself and LAY down! I might have been able to trim her where she was, but its raining, oh, and she doesn't slide uphill very well. Once inside, she continues to bury her feet under her hefty round body, and play dead. Never did manage to get her on the milk stand. I resorted to laying down on the floor with her and rolling her from side to side like a barrel to pry her legs out from under one by one.

I know I shouldnt laugh but I cant help it

mariaricarto · #11 12/01/12, 11:46 PM

Today I trimmed hooves too. 2 1/2 hours for 6 sheep.

I'm doing the picking and spraying too.

I tried straddling them to do the back feet and almost went for a ride.

The tip about tying them up short gave me an aha moment. Mine were tied too long. Thanks for that!

motdaugrnds · #12 12/02/12, 05:38 AM

I'm sorry for laughing too; but, like Shygal, I just couldn't help myself. I'm laughing so hard my dog came in to see what is wrong. ROFL

On a more serious note, David just said it sounds like your goats think they are in charge of the hoof trimming fiasco. (I think you need a different place to trim hooves.)

I only trim 4 does hooves several times a year. David does the buck's hooves. I tie each goat up close to a "wall" (not on the milking stand) that does not permit them to move much. With their heads taught against that wall and my body taught against theirs, it is not that big a deal anymore.

This does remind me of one of my first does, an Alpine named Myra. She would literally stand near me while I trimmed hooves and, whenever a goat would start kicking or moving around, Myra would talk with them and that goat would settle right down. She died many years ago from acute pneumonia and I've often wished I still had her.

Minelson · #13 12/02/12, 07:54 AM

Oh my...I get it now. (((hugs))) wow. The vision of #2 circling the room, flying, and trashing everything, did make me laugh only because I can so relate to animals that freak out. Several thoughts came to mind....the first one, sedation. We have a couple dog clients at the vet clinic that have to be sedated for nail trims. I know that some horses have to be sedated for hoof trims. The other thing I thought of was lunging them to wear them out before you start. I have no clue if that would work with goats, but with dogs sometimes they just get exhausted from the struggle and give up. Just a thought I'm throwing out. The other thing I thought of is that I know my goats freak at even the sight of a squirt bottle. I wonder if dipping the feet in a shallow pan might be better. Or put out a kiddie pool with water and make them stand in it and soak for awhile before you begin. The only other thing I can think of is to work with them at least 3-4 times a week with their feet. That is what I had to do with one of my horses...that is what I'm doing with my baby mini-donk right now. Nobody should have to go through all this and I admire you for not giving up after #2. I'm really afraid someone is going to get hurt!

Nancy_in_GA · #14 12/02/12, 07:56 AM

Sounds like the way one of our wethers behaves---non-stop foot jerking.

We usually put out some alfalfa hay while trimming and that keeps them occupied, but this one refuses to eat while trimming.

You could probably skip the water spray step. I use one of those wire brushes for cleaning barbecue grills and just brush the dirt off first. It has a little tab on the side that you can use to dig out dirt from under those hoof flaps.

Alice In TX/MO · #15 12/02/12, 07:58 AM

Do not trim in the milk house.

I trim mine elsewhere so that the milk house is only a positive place. Only GOOD things happen in the milk house.

Hubby made me a heavy duty welded metal stand. It sits in the lounging area of the barn. They get trimmed there only.

They get peanut butter crackers when they get on the stand and when I'm done trimming.

Minelson · #16 12/02/12, 07:58 AM

I wonder if you can trim feet with hobbles on????

KrisD · #17 12/02/12, 08:45 AM

I do trim on the stand but when my babies are small I start putting them on the stand and giving treats and lovins and bottles. I practice occasionally but not real often but it doesn't take long for them to figure out that the best stuff happens on the milk stand. Now when I open the door to the milk room they all want on the stand and they all want to be first.

For your doe that folds up try putting a bucket of grain up high enough that she HAS to stand up to reach it. Then just pet her, rub her belly down her legs etc but don't pick up her feet yet. She will learn that hands on equal a really good thing, then start working your way to the milk shed little by little. Pretty soon she'll be on that stand in no time.

I so understand the muck situation though! Some people do a rain dance, I do a sun dance! Seriously if we could just move these clouds over to Africa we could end famine completely!

Buckhuntr · #18 12/02/12, 09:11 AM

We've only had goats a few months, and have not yet trimmed hooves. This thread doesn't help get me motivated to trim, either. LOL
We have lots of exposed sandstone in the goat pen, and the goats love to play Queen Of The Mountain on the bigger boulders, so I'm really hoping they will wear their hooves down naturally so trimming isn't required so often. Is this a pipe dream?

Sherry in Iowa · #19 12/02/12, 09:19 AM

Seriously if we could just move these clouds over to Africa we could end famine completely!

Ya might want to just send it as far as the Midwest so we can all eat. Seriously in trouble with the drought situation. The winter wheat is non existent in most midwest places. Let alone enough moisture for corn and beans next year.

LFRJ ~ I seriously felt some sympathy pangs for ya'll. It's the mud/yuck and goat's temperament that can drag a task like this out. I give you guys a lot of credit for hanging in there. I like the idea of tying them short and using your body to leverage their balance. If ya do it that way and get good results a few times..I think they will settle down for ya.

I also think that trimming several times a year would help. It's not that you would be trimming all of those times. It's that you would be tying them..handling their feet and getting them so used to it that it is old hat.

Thanks for sharing..we have all been there

..in one way or the other. Again, I think you're great for finishing the job no matter what. That in itself teaches the goats you're not a push over!

Goat Servant · #20 12/02/12, 10:04 AM

Leave it to LFRJ to tell a rollicking story at their expense.

Anymore we just get the hose & spray those feet off good, getting between toes then using pick to start.
One of these days I'll remember safety goggles. A hunk of flying muck in the eye is just wonderful.
You all (goats & handler) just need practice. Someday you'll be able to even trim hair on top to really see what you're doing.
Usually I tell them what a good girl even when she's a pill.
Dont forget thick leather glove at least on the hoof holding hand. When I feel her start to jerk those trimmers get wide berth,
Kris it didnt sound like the one they had to drag uphill ever did stand.