Goat hoof-trimming and copper-bolusing: This is how we do it!

Today was hoof trimming and copper bolusing day.

This is something that needs done periodically, and I always seem to fall behind.
This time my excuse was that the flu struck, and then we had a period of rainy weather. No one wants to trim hooves in the mud...

If you decide to get goats for your homestead, or sheep for that matter, you need to keep up with several maintenance chores.
This includes hoof trimming and giving supplemental copper.
(NO extra copper for sheep, goats only!).

If you have ever been curious as to how to trim a goat's hoof, this post is for you!

Photo credit goes to my super helper today, @SnekLady! Obviously it would take a wizard to be able to trim AND take pictures at the same time, so she was my photographer. ♥

Okay, this is a hoof that needs trimming:
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Here's another one: (I think I had taken one snip at this point...
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When I trim, there are three main areas that need attention.
First is the hoof wall:
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You need to trim all those edges! It grows just like your fingernails and ends up folded over. You have to trim it all until it is flush with the foot.

Next the heel needs trimmed down.
The heel is the back part of the foot. It is made of softer stuff than the hoof wall, and you may be reluctant to cut it, but it does not hurt the goat. If you cut too deep it will, but to just trim it so the bottom of the hoof is flat will not hurt them at all.
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The third area, which a lot of people tend to forget about, is the heel between the toes.
This part of the heel tends to grow sideways and weird over time, and needs trimming to even out the heels and align the toes. This, also, does not hurt the goat.

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When you're done, you should have the bottom of the foot fairly flat, and the toes should line up properly.

If you have a goat that is waaaaay behind on trimmings, it may take more than one trimming episode to correct bad feet.

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After hoof trimming, each goat received his or her copper bolus.

This is a capsule with copper rods, which will lodge in the goat's rumen and provide the copper they need for 6-12 months.
This is NOT for sheep!

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The bolus goes into the bolus gun:
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Down the hatch it goes!
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None of this was appreciated by the goats, but there were treats afterward, which made it all worthwhile.
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Of course, the treats were also to make sure the goats swallowed the bolus rather than spit it out!

Thanks for reading! I hope some of you out there found this useful!

Have a blessed day!

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Great work on both. Why is copper important to them?

Thanks!
Goats have high mineral requirements, due to the fact that they were created as browsers, rather than grazers, and need the minerals found in bushes, trees, weeds, etc. Most people don't keep their goats in ideal habitat, with endless browse like this. And even if they do, many areas of the country are copper deficient in the soil.
Copper plays a huge role in the ability of the goat to resist parasites, so if you find you are constantly worming your goats, they may need copper.
So goats need a good, loose mineral available at all times, to supplement their mineral needs. BUT even with these minerals, many goats end up deficient anyway! (Super annoying, you'd think that would do it!) So if your goats show signs of copper deficiency, (rough coat, bleached looking coat, tail tip balding so they have a 'fish-tail' look), then you know they need more, which is where the bolus comes in. You pop that sucker down their throat, the copper rods lodge in their rumen, and they slow release the copper for months.
I already know my goats need copper periodically, since if I do not give it about every 6months, they will show the typical symptoms, so it is part of the routine here. :)

Ahhhhh. Just read your response here. My girls don’t look like they have any of these problems, but now I know what to look out for! Thank you 🙏!

Thank you for contributing your knowledge to help others! This post has been added to the Sotall.org Directory of Self Sufficiency & Survival posts. One of our goals is to provide access to the knowledge of our fellow Steamians, that will still be seen, long after the 7 day period is passed. If you write any future articles with instructions on how to do any tasks related to a homestead or survival, to ensure they are added to the directory, please submit them. They will be added as soon as possible.

I learned something new today. Thank you! Last week we bought into a goat share... tomorrow is our goat juice pick up. Goats are definitely on the list when we find a place to put them. If you had to pick, what breed of goat would you get first?

Glad you learned something! :D
Goat juice is the BOMB!!
Well, I have to say, I have only ever raised one kind of goat, and I love them so much I am not interested in switching breeds.
Nigerian dwarf goats! They are small, (easy to handle and contain), friendly and smart, come in all colors, and are known for their creamy, sweet milk!
We love them and their milk!

I keep on getting the same answer.... NIGERIAN DWARF GOATS it is. I'm putting them on the list. Thank you again.
p.s. @sneklady's posts has touched my heart. You are doing a good!

No prob!! You won't be disappointed, these little guys are so fun!

And thanks, she is such a sweetie! ♥

How come we trim our hooves in August on the hottest possible day of the year?! Annual goat day we call it. Trim, worm if needed, castrate, and shots. Takes us about 4-6 hrs to do the whole herd. Today seems like such better temperature. I think we need to rethink our annual goat day...

Haha! I know the heat of summer makes this job SO much worse!
I have to do feet every 2-3 months, since my goats don't have anything to wear them down on. So we do it in the summer, winter, spring, and fall.
I really need to make them a rock pile or something...

Oh, wow. While I’ve been planning to get goats, the thought of trimming their hooves has been way intimidating! You made it look fairly easy. This is definately a book markable post.

Thank you!! ♥
Yes, it seems intimidating at first, but the process is fairly simple. The main thing is getting the goats to cooperate. The first few times you do this, (if they were not previously trained), they will be DRAMATIC. I have one girl, Pixie, who would always sigh and then melt to the ground! And since I had her tied to the fence, she would start choking because she was semi-hanging herself... On purpose. She was ridiculous. They all know the routine now. Treats afterward make this process go quicker. Once they realize they get treats for hoof trimming, they dont oppose it too much.

This is great. I had no idea how to trim their toes, until my vet showed me. It is much more difficult to do on the sheep...actually everything is more difficult with them.
How do you feel the copper pill does vs what is in bagged minerals? I had not heard about doing way, but I am still a beginner with the livestock.

I am super glad everyday that they are still alive.

I didn't see this comment when I looked earlier for some reason...
Personally , I would much rather they get their copper from their loose minerals. I have yet to find a bagged mineral that does it though... Maybe I need to look online and buy a fancy expensive one...
Giving copper boluses is annoying, they hate it and I dont like it much either.

Im curious, how is trimming sheeps' hooves more difficult? I have almost no sheep experience. I assumed it would be pretty much the same thing. I recently bought a baby lamb and will eventually have to do her feet too. (Was supposed to do it with everyone elses, but she had come down with a case of new-home-stress scours, and I sure wasnt holding her on my lap with a runny butt.)

It is the same process, just the sheep are larger and they like humans less. Of course, I got mine as adults and the transport was kinda traumatic for one of them. Wrestling a 100# plus animal is not my favorite thing, though.

Oh okay, LOL! Well, hopefully, with this lamb being bottle fed and totally lovable and tame, she will cooperate better... Hopefully!

good post, I like your post ..

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