The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: vkmcc on July 19, 2012, 10:06:21 pm
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Just wanting some information on trimming Jacobs feet I havnt trimmed them since I got them last October when I got them sheared I checked them all but none seem.ed to have over grown unlike the Suffolks who needed there feet cut right back. Do Jacobs need there feet done often and when they do is it just minimum you take off???
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Sorry, I don't know the answer but was wondering with recent threads about feet problems much the same thing.
I have had my Soay for over 2 years now and have not touched their feet. I have followed the advice of a neighbouring farmer ..... not to do anything unless a ewe limped for more than a couple of days. His thoughts were that by trimming and the like you were more likely to introduce infection and cause problems. Sometimes wonder if I should be more active in foot care. ???
No limping so far :fc: . Maybe some breeds like your Jacobs are less prone to problems. ???
Will follow this thread with interest. Thank you for bringing this up.
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I know this isn't going to sound helpful but much depends on the ground conditions and the individual sheep. I have Jacobs I need to do really regularly and others that I haven't touched for months. This wet weather certainly hasn't helped foot condition.
My Shetlands and BWMs tend to have better feet generally than the Jacobs but there are exceptions. I agree that with feet it is often a case of if it isn't broken don't fix it. If the foot still looks a good shape and the sheep is sound then leave well alone. If you do have to trim then be sure to use the magic blue spray and never take off more than is absolutely necessary - even if that means doing it again a month later. More damage is done by over trimming than not trimming enough.
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If sheep have hard or stoney ground to walk over they can keep their feet worn down without the need for frequent trimming. However, if you have only wet pasture for them, then any breed can get bad or overgrown feet, in particular with the outer edge folding over and trapping soil underneath, which will lead to anaerobic bacteria being trapped and multiplying, and causing rot.
Some breeds though, which includes Soay, have a tendency to have fewer problems than other breeds. Black hoof often seems to have fewer problems than white. Jacob hooves are usually dark, but sometimes have white stripes in.
'Good' feet seem to be heritable - we include foot quality in our criteria for keeping both ewes and tups, and in the 'lines' we have developed (along with long-keeping teeth and a whole lot of other factors)
We check our sheep's hooves frequently - whenever we have them in for anything, but if they don't need any trimming then we leave them alone, certainly we don't trim them just because we are looking. By checking though we make sure there are no problems, rather than just ignoring them altogether. Our other strategy is to bring in an individual sheep if it is limping for a day or two and inspect the foot.
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I will check mine when I bring them in for worming in the near future.
If the hoof looks a little overgrown, should I trim back even if the sheep is not lame?
The man I bought my sheep from said that in many years of keeping them he had never trimmed a hoof!
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Thank you for all your advice will keep an eye on them and only trim when they need it done. Fingers crossed not had any limping.
I have the magic blue spray ;D would be lost without it one of my suffolks has terrible feet and it always seems to help spraying her foot with it.
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I will check mine when I bring them in for worming in the near future.
If the hoof looks a little overgrown, should I trim back even if the sheep is not lame?
The man I bought my sheep from said that in many years of keeping them he had never trimmed a hoof!
Well, everyone has their own opinions about this. I suppose it depends on what you mean by 'a little overgrown'. We would certainly trim winklepickers, or where the side has grown over the sole, or if the foot is distorted by overgrowth so as to make the sheep walk 'over on the sides of its shoes' ie it's affecting its gait. But just because it doesn't look like a newly trimmed hoof doesn't mean you have to jump in and trim it. A nice healthy hoof is best left alone.
A good tip is always to clean your footshears with spirit or similar between each sheep, to avoid passing on pathogens. Always clean footshears very thoroughly after you have trimmed a foot with rot or any other obvious problem which could be passed on.
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I dont trim unless its limping - and this now appears to be in line with current vetinary thinking. If i have to trim/treat for rot/scald the ewe is marked and culled.
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I am a bit of a hoof trimming obsessive.... mainly because I absolutely love doing it and because the bi-monthly trim means they are turned over and I can have a good check over all round the sheep. I do all my friends' sheep and goats feet for free just to get some more hoof-action. I just love pulling out all the mud, making them look all perfect and getting a good clip-in. I know its not EVERYONE'S idea of a good Friday night but it is mine! :) And my sheep all have great feet :eyelashes: