Pygmy goats need their hooves trimmed every four to six weeks.
Pygmy goats are a miniature breed of goats with a short head, neck and legs. Unlike goats bred for meat or milk production, pygmy goats are bred and kept as pets. Pygmy goat hooves have two separate sections, called toes. Your pygmy goat will need its hooves trimmed every four to six weeks. If the hooves are not trimmed they will start to overgrow and turn under around the hoof sides, or grow out the front of the toes and curl.
Instructions
1. Stand next to your pygmy goat and bend your body over it at an angle, allowing your pygmy goat to lean into your body while you gently lift up the front hoof.
2. Clean out the dirt, mud and manure from the two toes of the hoof with a hoof pick. Scrub off the sides of the hoof with an old toothbrush and water until you can see the growth lines, which are a series of grooves or parallel lines that grow in bands along the side of the hoof.
3. Observe the angle of the hoof growth lines and cut the outer edge of the hoof off at that angle with a pair of hoof shears. Trim off the overgrown sides of the hoof all the way down to the white sole, which should be to the first groove or growth line from the bottom of the hoof.
4. Trim slices or slivers of hard side nail off at the back or heel of the hoof. Trim down the soft white center of the heel until you see the white start to turn pink. Cut the heel level with the first growth line of the toe so that the toe and heel of the hoof are the same level.
5. Cut off any small bits or little flaps that are growing between the toes of the hoof.
6. Gently and carefully plane off the entire bottom of the hoof, heel and toe, until it is level with a carpenter's plane. Repeat this for the other four hooves.
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