When I first got goats, I was a little worried about trimming their hooves, but as it turns out, it’s really quite easy and simple. It’s much less intimidating than trimming a horses’ hoof. How often you trim their hooves will depend on how quickly they’re growing out. Sometimes my goats are fine going several months without a trim, and other times it needs to be done monthly. Diet and surroundings will have an effect on the growth of the hoof. Since I walk my goats on a rocky dirt road several times a week, it wears they’re hooves down naturally most of the time.  

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Tools: Tools are simple, you’ll just want some goat sized hoof trimmers and then a hoof pick if you want. I personally just use the trimmers as the hoof pick because our Nigerian Dwarf goats have pretty small hooves so there’s often not much to pick out. Others prefer not to gunk up their trimmers so they’ll use the hoof pick. 

Step #1: Tie up your goat so that they won’t take off on you when you start grabbing their feet. It’s best to have a wall or fence there so if they do get squirmy you can use your body to push them into the fence and keep them from flipping around on you. If you trim your goats hooves regularly then they should get accustomed to the process and stand a little better for you. Babies are easier and can either be held by a friend or laid on their side on the ground. 

Step #2: In whichever position is easiest for you, grab the goat’s hoof and bend it upwards so you can begin working on the hoof. I like to kneel beside them facing the rear and lift the leg as if you were working on a horses hoof. Most likely the hoof will be full of dirt or poop that you’ll want to pick out with the hoof pick or with the tip of your trimmers to reveal the spongy white layer. Don’t worry about getting the hoof perfectly clean, you’re just getting the bulk of it out of the way so you’re not cutting into poop/dirt instead of the hoof. 

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Step #3: After the hoof has been cleaned out you can see what you have to work with and how much the hoof has actually grown. You’re going to trim the sides of the hoof and sometimes even the heel needs light trimming. Make sure your trimmers stay parallel to the hoof and when you make your cuts, go the entire length of the hoof. Be careful not to trim too far down so you don’t cause the foot to be tender or even make them bleed. If you start to see pink, your getting very close to the blood vessels in the foot. Also, avoid partial cuts or cuts done at an angle, you don’t want to create any cracks for bacteria to get in and fester causing hoof rot. The hoof should be flat when your done. And there you go!

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