Hooves and Rain

parrotman · #1 09/23/13, 08:03 AM

This is my rant for the day. Have to say this summer and so far, the fall, have been horrible for my goats hooves...rain, rain and more rain!

hiddensprings · #2 09/23/13, 08:50 AM

I'm with you! We got about 2 1/2 more inches Friday night. We are so far over our normal rainfall for the year it isn't funny. I told my hubby "the girls (my Does) have packed, I'm driving, we're moving to the desert!"

o&itw · #3 09/23/13, 10:35 AM

Does pine tar work on goat hooves?

Clovers_Clan · #4 09/23/13, 11:51 AM

I got a tip from my farrier. Mix up a solution of epsom salt and water in a spray bottle. Spray it on the their feet when they're on the stand. They do a little tap dance but its great for drying them out and toughening up. Has really worked for me. This is a common treatment for hoof abcesses in horses, which has been a big problem here as well.

parrotman · #5 09/23/13, 12:56 PM

Will definitely give the epsom salt solution a try. I'm desperate at this point. Thanks again.

parrotman · #6 09/24/13, 08:50 PM

Clovers, I picked up the epsom salts today. Can you recommend a ratio of salt to water?
Thanks.

Backfourty,MI. · #7 09/25/13, 06:48 AM

Also try & make sure they have dry places to stand, lay, eat, etc. Pallets are cheap & it gives them places to stand & lay out of mud & water.

parrotman · #8 09/25/13, 08:04 AM

They have plenty of places to be out of mud and water. Actually, there's far more dry areas in the pasture than there are wet.
They have a great pasture barn with a wooden floor bedded with straw.
It's that they CHOOSE to pick the wet spots to stand. :0

Edited to add a picture...the "deprived" goat's digs in the pasture.

CAjerseychick · #9 09/25/13, 12:15 PM

HMMMM our shed is not nearly so nice smack on the ground, and i never noticed before.... but in early winter/late spring when things arent frozen... there is a little overflow stream running right in front of it...
I wonder how damp it gets inthere (the old straw and horse poo from 2-3 years ago is still intact in there- we never used the shed before)....
I guess I will be mucking it out today/tommorrow--
We just got our first big rainstorm this week-- so we will see....just got the new little goatlings in yesterday.....

Backfourty,MI. · #10 09/25/13, 10:30 PM

Well that is a really nice goat shed, my goats would be jealous if they saw that!
I don't know what to tell you if they choose to stand in the really wet areas, mine will walk all the way around a little puddle if they are going through the gate to the barn.

motdaugrnds · #11 09/26/13, 07:47 AM

Ummmm maybe you simply have goats that prefer wet feet??

Hoof trimming here has been more frequent due to wet weather. Let them start to curve just a little and that mud packs! (Great idea about epsom salts.)

parrotman · #12 09/26/13, 08:57 AM

Normally they do walk around puddles. And if it rains, they run into the shelter as if rain was hot, burning acid falling from the sky.
I will agree that their hooves grow very quickly in this damp weather. I can easily trim their hooves about every 10 days. It's the softening of their hooves that concerns me. It seems that their weight, combined with the softer hooves, causes them to turn outwards and some separate from the wall of the hoof.
Oh well...they have options and I can't make them stay off of the wet ground areas. I'll just look forward to drier days and of course the wonder we call snow! Lots and lots of snow.

Clovers_Clan · #13 09/26/13, 02:29 PM

Parrotman-

Sorry about the delay, hadn't checked the thread in a while. When you have pastured goats, as we both have, they spend so much time outside, they can't avoid having wet feet. And its been so constant all summer. I have noticed goats with light colored hooves and Boers in particular have a rough time with it. The best you can do is keep the rough edges off and trim a little but frequently.

I don't have a particular ratio solution. I just heat up some water and start adding epsom salt until it stops dissolving. Not so "thick" that it won't come out of the spray bottle. Epsom salts work by reverse osmosis drawing swelling and moisture back out of the tissue. Normally you would soak a horse's hoof for some period of time. So I don't know if just spraying the hoof and letting it dry is doing a lot, but does seem to be working on toughening them up some. Does anyone else have experience with this or any other soaking methods?

parrotman · #14 09/26/13, 02:45 PM

CC, thanks for the response. Yes, I have Boers and they are the worst, it seems.
I mixed up a spray bottle with epsom salt, but didn't do the heated method. It still dissolved.
I do trim them often and it is the rough outer edge as you describe.
Hope this works as I don't like seeing them like this.

Copperhead · #15 09/26/13, 10:59 PM

I'm curious about the Epsom salts . . . gonna have to experiment with that one!

I'm currently using Copper Soap. I get it at Southern States. It is basically a sticky (soapy) mix of Copper Sulfate. For hooves, I mix it about 1:1 or 2:1 with water in a coffee can, making sure I have about 3 inches of liquid. After I trim a hoof, I'll dip the hoof in the Copper for a few seconds. If I know the goat has hoof scald (rot between the toes), I'll separate the hooves and "work" it into the area. In warm weather, give it a few minutes to dry and the goat can be turned loose again. In my experience, even if they run through the creek shortly afterward, the copper is sticky enough to persist and inhibit fungal activity for weeks.

For 2 years in a row, my BoerXKiko herd has done extremely well on pasture . . . up until July 4! I don't know if it has to do with the shorter days (after summer solstice -- June 21 -- the days get shorter) or if it is the summer heat, but July 4 marks the beginning of worm and hoof issues!!!

parrotman · #16 09/27/13, 07:25 AM

I'm going to make a mental note of the copper soap. Thank you. It's great to have suggestions and options.
I did spray the hooves yesterday with the epsom salt solution. Of course this was on essentially dirty hooves as I didn't have time to soak and clean them before applying.
Fortunately, I'm not dealing with rot or scald, at least I don't think so.