Livestock with healthy hooves will perform well and be happier, leading to a better bottom line on your farm, and fewer health problems within your herds and flocks.
Small livestock are no exception to the need for healthy hooves – knowing what hoof issues to look for in sheep and goats, and knowing how to treat these issues, can go a long way on your farm.
Overgrown Hooves
What To Look For: Animals that display signs of pain when walking, or become lethargic and unwilling to move can often suffer from problems that accompany overgrown hooves. Hoof length is something that should be checked regularly in small livestock – if the hooves become long and overgrown, performance will decline as the animal will have trouble standing up and moving to feed or water without pain.
Overgrown hooves can lead to other leg and shoulder problems if left untreated.
How To Treat: The answer is relatively simple – trim them.
The trimming schedule of your herd or flock depends on the geography of where your farm is located – for example, if you have dry rocky soil, hooves will need less maintenance than in a moist bottom ground pasture – but regular maintenance is a must.
Hoof Rot
What To Look For: Hoof rot can be a common occurrence in very moist pastures, or after periods of heavy rainfall. According to an article by Purdue University Extension, “footrot is caused by the coexistence of two gram-negative, anaerobic bacteria, Fusobacteriunecrophorum and Dichelobacter nodosus.”
Symptoms of hoof rot include lameness, unwillingness to stand, weight loss and decreased production in milk, wool or hair.
In sheep and goats suffering from hoof rot, decayed hoof tissue may be visible, and the hoof wall can separate. An unpleasant odor can sometimes accompany hoof rot as well.
How To Treat: If a goat (or sheep) does develop hoof rot, regular trimming, trying to keep them out of wet areas and mud, and cleaning the area with hydrogen peroxide twice a day will usually resolve the issue. In severe cases, we will pack the area with a mixture of iodine and sugar and wrap it.
Ideally, hoof rot can be prevented by a regular hoof trimming schedule – but if this disease has already taken hold, trimming can help eradicate it too.
A real key to good hoof health is simply knowing your flock or herd, and spending some time observing them.
