The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: Tree Farmer on June 25, 2015, 11:59:19 am
-
A little update.
The Gold Hoof Plus arrived (basically zinc sulphate, with some bits that help it penetrate apparently) along with instruction to bathe hooves for at least two minutes.
As recommended on here, I popped into town and bought a pair of children's wellies. Bright red! They had some in JMart (hate that shop but needs must) for £5.
And yesterday I steeled myself and we had a go. One goat at a time, I tied them up at the front end, got the other half to pinion them at the back end... Then did the usual warm soapy water sponge, towel dry then little bit of trimming. THEN decanted a decent slosh of foot bath into a wellie and put a fore hoof into it. Did them one hoof at a time. Didn't do back feet as they seem fine. One goat seemed quite happy and didn't mind wearing a welly. The other goat played merry hell. Lots of Rich Tea finger biscuits were eaten.
Just I was holding the welly and other half was holding the goat one our runner ducks wandered over and started drinking the zinc sulphate which had spilt into a puddle - for heaven's sake! I had to abandon the welly to go and shoo him away.
Oh and in the middle of it Eve goat's little stubby regrown horn came off (it comes back an inch or so a couple of times a year). So a bit of blood and some purple aloe vera spray.
I'm going to do this once a week for a few weeks. (Oh God.)
Meanwhile - concentrates have been reduced to about a quarter of what they were... just a half a small mug in the evening now. BUT if I stop altogether how do I get the new Brinicombes supplement into them?? Any advice?
-
Soaked sugar beet shreds, - but warning - they may refuse to eat the stuff. If I want to get (some, not all) of mine to have Caprivite or similar I drizzle some virgin olive oil onto the shreds (and the supplement) and (usually) Bob's your uncle and it goes down.... not always though. Garlic granules are also helpful in disguising tastes.
-
Don't know about Brinicombes stuff, I use caprivite, which my lot love and I can just put it into my hand and feed it like a treat!
-
Garlic granules are also helpful in disguising tastes.
Is this for the goats, or for you when you get a mouthful of zinc sulphate? :innocent:
-
One goat seemed quite happy and didn't mind wearing a welly. The other goat played merry hell. Lots of Rich Tea finger biscuits were eaten.
By you or the goats?
-
Tree Farmer, you think you have problems. My OH has to bathe his dog's paw in a solution which is done in a glove. Fortunately the dog is very tolerant.