How to Maintain Goat Feet

A goat's feet and hooves are essential so that it can balance on steep crevices and on rocks. When a goat is walking in an odd manner, this often signals that its feet are hurting, which is usually caused by the way its hooves are growing. A limp may occur if a hoof is curled out. If the goat is pawing at the ground, you should inspect its hooves and feet.

Things You'll Need

  • Hoof knife
  • Snub-nosed wire cutters
  • Epsom salt
  • Dolomite
  • Soapy water
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Instructions

    • 1

      Gather your hoof knife and snub-nosed wire cutters and examine the goat's feet and hooves. If the goat's feet are hot or warm to the touch, the goat may have what is called "founder," which is the result of a sudden change in diet, particularly high intake of protein. Add dolomite and 2 tablespoons of Epsom salt to the goat's feed and see if this heals the foot.

    • 2

      Put your trimming tools in your back pocket so that you have easy access to them. Depending on your skill and the willingness of the goat to let you trim his feet, you may be able to straddle the larger goats or use the elevated method while trimming the hooves and feet of small goats.

      Straddling the goat entails straddling the goat backwards. You should be facing his rear quarters. Lifting his legs may irritate him and cause him to kick. Lift the legs a few times before you start trimming to get him used to it.

      The elevated style entails putting the goat on a table so that he is up higher. You can use a flatbed truck for this purpose. Ideally, you will have an assistant who holds the goat for you while you are trimming the hooves.

    • 3

      Clean manure, debris, stones and mud out of the walls of the hoof before you begin trimming. Check its color and see if it smells. A rotten hoof indicates foot rot, and this condition needs to be treated.

      When foot rot first appears it is called foot scald, which is the result of too much sulfur or cooper in the goat's diet. The scald later becomes foot rot. Pus will come out of the hoof area when there is rot. You can trim away the rotten area of hoof but must be careful not to trim the good tissue. Scrub the area with 2 tablespoons of copper sulfate and 1 tablespoon of vinegar mix in 1 quart of water. This is considered a copper wash. Or you can directly apply copper sulfate powder to the scabs and lesions that you see and then cover them for a day.

      Another technique requires using 1 teaspoon of dolomite, 1/2 teaspoon of cooper sulfate and 2 teaspoons of vitamin C powder. Feed the goat this mixture for two days. If his copper and sulfate levels do not improve, the rot and foot scald will come back.

    • 4

      Spray the foot with soapy water before you start trimming. This allows you to get a better look at the walls of the hoof so you can determine how deep they are.

    • 5

      Decide how much hoof to trim depending on the soil and terrain on which the goat walks. If the soil is soft and wet you can trim each hoof wall until it is almost flush with the pad of the foot, which prevents manure build-up and debris from collecting between the walls. When this happens, bacterial infections and foot rot can occur.

      If the soil is rocky, hard and dry, leave between an eighth of an inch and a sixteenth of an inch of hoof wall intact, which keeps the foot pad raised above the soil.

      Check the dewclaw area and trim away any crust or dead hoof in that area. When you cut the hooves try not to be too aggressive. You may have to trim the hooves a couple of times before you get the desired results.