# Hoof Trimming Time?



## 3stooges (Jun 20, 2011)

What is the average time it takes you to trim the hooves of your most difficult goat?

I know it takes me entirely too long. And it frustrates the boys (cuz it takes me too long) and me (cuz they start kicking or trying to lay down :hair: ). I only have the amount of time it takes them to eat - about 5 minutes. Anybody have any tips on how to speed up of the process?

I do have everything needed in front of me before starting. Hay will keep one busy, but not the other.


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## Frosty1 (Jul 12, 2011)

I recently did my goat's hooves, and with me it was as long as I can keep safely trimming them. Once they started kicking too badly, I'd have to put them down. I usually was able to finish one hoof each in the time it took them to finish eating. LOL This was my first time trimming though.


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## Frosty1 (Jul 12, 2011)

So, in conclusion, lol I usually did about one hoof per goat per day.


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

It normally takes me 30 minuets to cut 4 goats hooves. This includes walking them to the milking stand and putting them in, getting the hoof trimmers out of the house, my obsessive compulsive perfect trimming and petting time. I give them no grain but I also don't have trouble with them kicking either because I have worked with their hooves since one month old. I have worked with kickers so here is what I do. With front hooves I find some of them try to lay down so I put something under their chest to keep them standing and hold on tight. For the back legs I stand facing away from the goat and put the arm closest to the goat over the inside of the leg and hold onto the leg right at the ankle and cradle the hoof facing up in my hand. This way if they start to kick you can squeeze your arm to your side trapping the leg and stop them from getting it away. If they are really going wild I pull their leg out and push their shoulders into the neck brace until they calm down. They generally hate that and get the point that kicking is not allowed. It takes patience but they will get used to it eventually.


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

it will get faster and more natural every time you do it. It takes me maybe 5 min per goat. I let the goat out the gate they run and jump on the stand I give them grain and trim away. So maybe more like 10 min per goat since I check them over feeling for anything also.


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## 3stooges (Jun 20, 2011)

Yeah, Frosty that's how I started about 6 months ago. I thought it would get easier as I learned what to do and the boys got use to having them trimmed. But, one of my boys is just as hard to do today as when we first started. I guest he has just been trained poorly and now I don't know how to make it any better for either of us. So, be careful your not on the same path.

Thanks, xymenah. That's great. I hope one day *soon* I can be that fast. I'll try your tricks. Something has got to give. It can't go on this way.


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

when they try and pull their hoof away do not let them hold tight until they relax then you can relax and start again. Letting go teated them that if they fight you stop.


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

Wish you the best of luck. It used to take me a long time. I had one doe that if I got any where near her back end she would somehow stand on her front legs only like a hand stand and flail her back legs in the air and if she wasn't doing that she was jumping half way off the stand or laying down. It was a literal rodeo to cut her hooves. Until one day I was fed up so I put her on the ground and hog tied her and cut her hooves that way. She was flopping around on the ground so much I had to sit on her or she would have drug herself across the yard with her horns. The entire time she screamed bloody murder even though I wasn't hurting her. I'm sure people thought I was killing her. She wouldn't come near me for days after that but I never had any more problems cutting her hooves after that day. So if worse comes to worse you can try that lol. Just be aware that they will hate you for a while afterwards.


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## Guest (Feb 9, 2012)

The kicking I try to stop by putting pressure on their knuckle just below the dew claws, I support the hoof with my fingers. My goats have horns and I tie them tight to the fence then if I have to push her against the fence one side at a time, some will stand in front of the fence and not fight me. I used to use trimmers and knife rasp etc,
As my hands won't take the squeezing anymore I experimented with pneumatic sheers, but found that they were slow and like hand trimmers pinched more than cut. Then I tried my angle grinder with a sanding disk but the disk packed off with hoof. So now I have a hard wire wheel on my grinder and can whittle those hooves down in nothing flat. I do a way better job of getting them level and can tell you that they don't bleed near as much and the goats don't kick any more than when I was using trimmers maybe less since I am not pinching and crushing the hoof. I can trim 4-5 goats per hr and these are goats that might see a trimming every other year. The thing is you don't take that much off at a time and can get the toe level with the frog, The frog is hard to cut with trimmers but running that wheel over it just kind of gives it a soft grating and I can get the hoof way more level. Between the toes can be done with it too as long as you are careful. A word of caution wear a leather glove on the hand holding the hoof! 
Once I decided this was the way I was going to trim hooves I found and bought the lightest angle grinder I could find, Bosch makes one that is small in diameter and weighs 3 lbs.
I will be trimming this week end and will shoot a video to post. I can trim all day now where 6 or 8 a day was all I could do before. My back gets tired now and maybe I should get a milk stool to sit on.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I actualy have a blocking stand that I used for my show steers that I use, so they are not on a stand, they are basicaly on the ground. For the back legs, what I find helps me is if I put their leg between my legs and hang on and trim, Like you would a horse....If Im not explaining it well go to youtube and look at how they shoe a horse. No advise for front legs, it sucks, your back hurt, and its a fight, I am saving for a goat table thats how much I hate it lol


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## Breezy-Trail (Sep 16, 2011)

Frosty1 said:


> ..... Once they started kicking too badly, I'd have to put them down.......


Lol, That does not sound good.

To answer the question for me it takes me about a minute on each hoof.
I lift the leg up and hold a good grip (in a way not hurting the doe).
I clean the "gunk" out and quickly chop off the overgrown sidewall. I then square everything up, put the hoof down to see if it is flat and even with the hair line.
I do all 4 and then come back with the file to make sure its all even.
All this ensures I don't have each hoof up for 5 minutes...making the does leg fall asleep.
I try to be as quick as possible while doing a good job.

A added note: If they are being feisty and not liking to wait there all day while you trim, just trim smaller pieces off. Like go and take a few snippets off one hoof and do the same for all 4. Then come back to hoof 1 again and trim more off. Stop on all 4 when it starts to get pink. This rotates hoof to hoof and so that one hoof isn't in your hand for however long it takes. Just a thought.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

I went out at 4:30pm, trimmed 7 goats feet <some were a mess with mud, hay, etc. & some growing odd in some places due to the fact we have been staying so wet>, I also sprayed each foot with soapy bleach water to help clean them off/kill germs/etc, and I sprayed permectrin II spray down their necks, back and top of their shoulders.
We fed everyone their grain <everyone basically gets fed seperate too>, gave hay to the boys and bedded them down for the night, gave hay to the girls, messed around in the barn for a short bit with my son, one final look in on everyone, and it was about 6:40pm.

I mentioned in your other post how I would do tricky feet.
I have 2 does who can be less than fun to trim.
One is fine with front feet, but she is a kicker with back. I tied her to a fence post, picked up a back foot and she immediately started 'her dance.' I put her hock between my knees, and held it there firmly, and put her body against the fence, securing her there with my hip so it helps keep her from moving and pulling. If she didn't settle I grabbed her hock and held it firmly, but not enough to hurt her. Once she settled down, I put her hock back between my knees, and went to work.
I have LOUSY trimmers, they were okay but quite dull now <I use pruning trimmers>, so I will be curious to see how Sideliner does feet! I need to get new trimmers....heh.
Anyway, the other doe tries to lay down when you do her back feet. Now, she is due in 2 weeks, BUT she is always like this.
By holding her hock firmly <but not hurting her> between my knees, she couldnt' lay down. She tried - got down on her front knees, but couldn't get all the way down, or stop me from trimming.

I think you just have to try different things until you find something that helps. IMO grain can only go so far. You have to kind of get it in their minds that your the boss when it comes to this, and they just have to deal with it. 
I know it doesn't always work, but I do think you have to do something so it's not taking forever. I could never ever have a goat that couldn't be trimmed all at once, I think I'd go crazy! And that's coming from someone who had to restrain a boer buck who was PO'ed when I messed with his feet. Sure I admit, he was VERY unpredictable when he didnt' want to be messed with, I found a way to bribe him to come over where I wanted to trim him <between 2 trees>, grain. The grain gave me enough time to put a loos rope on him <no collars would fit him LOL>, tie it to one tree, back through the loop around his neck then to the other tree <kind of like cross tying a horse>. I did the same thing with his horns, made them more secure so he couldnt' turn his head back/forth and so he couldn't rear up.
Sure it was a pain, but did I get it done? I sure did! LOL


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## Stardance (Dec 31, 2011)

It usually takes me about 10 minutes to trim hoofs. I play with there legs, feet, teats, ears, basicly give them a full rub down every time I grain when they are young. I got one nubian that is really wild and she takes 30 minutes, she was a rescue and not use to being touched. The first few times it took about 45 minutes, I just put there back legs between my knee's like a farrier does on a horse. On the front leg I put my leg on the milking stand and rest her leg ontop of mine and hold on with the hand not doing the trimming. If she starts to pull I hold on till she stops then start trimming again, she has got the idea now that if she is calm it will be done and over with. She still tries to fight every now and then still tho. My other girls I dont have to do this with I just hold there feet with one hand and they let me do whatever I want. Some times I give them treats and some times I dont, depends on if someone else has already given them abunch of treats that day or not. Oh, and if you try putting there back legs between your knees (if they are big enough) I would have something to grab onto with one hand if need be. I learn that the hard way the second time I trimmed sweet girl's feet, I took alittle trip off the milk stand. Good thing I got padding on the barn floor. :ROFL:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I don't time it ....each goat is different and some do need more time.. depending on the growth they have...and some need less time.....each are different....as they all grow different.... I take however much time on each.. as needed... :wink: :greengrin:


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## Steve (Mar 12, 2011)

Sideplaner,what grit was the grinding stone you used?

the guy i bought my first does from told me he used an angle grinder with a 40 grit stone and it worked good,i never used a grinder on them.


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## naturalgoats (Jan 3, 2011)

I do one hoof at a time with my boys... just cause it is easier that way. I don't have a milk stand and generally don't tie them up and there are only two goats so it works fine for me. I use trimmers but mainly a utility knife. I agree with everyone about not letting go if they're kicking... but when they stop you could put the hoof down for a sec to reward the fact that they stopped... then again if you have a lot of goats to do they just need to learn that need to be still. I also find that one goat (Merry) is more comfortable if he's lying down while I trim so if he wants to I let him. It's not like Pippin who tries to lie down to avoid it and then stands up again immediately. Anyway that's how I do it with my two... Pips is still finicky about the back legs but he used to be better and I think it's cause one time I cut too deep and made it bleed and he's never forgiven me.
Good luck!
M.


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## nubians2 (Feb 20, 2011)

I dont time it. My husband helps by holding and petting them while I trim. He stands over them (straddles them) and I let them rest their knee or body on my knee to support them. I am slow but I dont want to cut them or me. I stop trimming my pregnant ones when they are three months along. I have a great milk stand but the neck hold is too big and doesnt hold them.


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## Guest (Feb 14, 2012)

This You tube video is of a guy trimming hooves with a grinder in a demonstration, note he is using a sanding wheel. He also has taken the guard off his grinder. Like I said I tried that but wet hooves seemed to pack the disk. The wire wheel never wears out. And is a lot faster than this guy is with his sanding disk, and I don't start with the clippers either.


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## .:Linz:. (Aug 25, 2011)

I don't know exactly how long it takes me, but it's pretty long. My problem is that I am not confident enough to just start cutting, and I'm afraid I'll cut too deep, so it takes me longer because I make small cuts. I'm working on it, though - last time I decided I would just do it, and it did go much faster. My girls will stand quietly for a minute or two, go into a kicking fit, rinse and repeat. I just hang on to their leg until they stop kicking, and usually I tell them "stop, I know this isn't hurting you, stop kicking" but that's probably more for my benefit than theirs.


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