If there are cookies involved, these two will be your best friend. Try to trim their hooves, give them meds or any other necessary goat maintenance and they go all psycho and will try to kick your lights out. 😕
So now it has come to this...
I bought this $17 calf sling from Premier1 supplies. Best purchase ever! No more nonsense, lol. They are quite secure and comfortable in there and it is much less distressing for all parties involved.
And I can do a much better job without wearing out my back. You can swivel them around to get the best view and lighting too.
Here's Snappy sticking his nose through the knot hole in the barn wall, wondering what on earth's going on back here and insisting he deserves a cookie too.
The boys are not hard to trim. They behave very nicely on the milk stand for me. Other than the stinkiness, they are a real pleasure to work with.
Something else that has made my hoof trimming easier is a Stanley Surform rasp. You can find them at the hardware store or online for about $9. It makes it really easy to get a nice, even plane on the bottom of the hoof. It takes off a little at a time; much like shredding cheese, but on a lesser level.
I also invested in a nice, sharp pair of hoof trimmers from Premier1 last year. Those ran me about $40, which I thought was a fair price and well worth it. These are well made and dependable. If they ever need sharpening, you can send them in and they'll do it for free.
Heather and Astrid were handled and played with all the time as kids, but they still turned out to be stubborn brats. They were dam-raised. Ava was beginning to dread messing with the goats, so I had to do something. A few cookies later and all is forgiven! Overall, it's a more positive experience for them too.
I would say use your discretion as to the size, weight and health of your goat if you decide to give the sling a try. Some goats are more rotund, with a large, active rumen. It might not be as comfortable for one in that case.
