TEST DRIVING ANOTHER PAIR OF HOOF TRIMMERS

I'm getting pretty good at this.

I should really learn to do the "maintenance" on all of my animals at once. However, we didn't get them all at the same time. After first trimming hooves with a razor blade, many steemians suggested I use shears.

Honoring their suggestions, I tried a pair of power scissors while simultaneously testing out our milking stand for hoof trimming with our doe Daisy. Thankfully, both were a success. Today, I had to take care of our new doe Wild, and got to get Crockett at the same time. This time, I tested out some actual "hoof rot sheers."

TESTING THEM OUT

With the help of a few Hive account@little-peppers, we got a hold of Wild. Not all goats are friendly, and she's still new to us, so it did take a little effort. Thankfully, I travel thick sometimes and bring reinforcements with me.

As you can see in the photo above, she needed a trim. If the hooves grow to long, they fold over and trap feces and dirt beneath them, which can actually cause the hooves to rot. If the animals are not in a rocky enough location to naturally wear the hooves down, periodical trimming is needed to keep them healthy. Here are a few shots of the process.

TRIMMING WITHOUT A STAND

If you pay careful attention to my legs in the photo above, you can see that it took a bit of leg-wrestling to hold the goat still. Even without my hands I was able to get a good grip on the goat and get the job done. I like a firm but friendly leg-lock to keep the animal calm and secure.

CROCKETT TOO!

Crockett was due for a trim too, and he was on our to do list. Since our little goat kids are still new, we should be good on hoof trimming for a while. He took it well too, and we were glad that his hooves are still in good shape too.

As I reflect on the three methods that I've used so far; razor blade, scissors, and hoof shears, I must admit that I am most accustomed to using a razor blade, but that is the most dangerous method. Blades are just so easy to get into the right places or get the proper angle with. However, just one slip could be disastrous for either me or the animal, so we will be retiring that method.

I'll probably just stick to these shears, since this is the actual job that they are designed to do and the scissors are handy enough on so many other projects they'll stay busy anyway. Again, I'm still new to all of this, but I'm learning and gaining experience every step of the way. Not only that, as I learn I can help others learn too!

Soon after trimming our first hooves on our homestead we were next door helping Hive account@bluerthangreen learn how. As you can tell, this was still in the old "razor blade" days. We will have to show him a new way next time! If any of you are going to be trimming goat or sheep hooves, just get the shears. It'll help!