There are not very many sources of written information on hoof trimming. We learned how to do it from local shepherds, and after a number of years of experience trimming many many little hooves, we felt this information should be shared with those not as fortunate to have a local shepherd to show them how.
Unless you have a really dry climate and/or rocky terrain, hoof trimming is one of those jobs that is necessary for the health of sheep. You can make this job less frequent by setting up some areas that sheep must traverse (such as to their water trough) that are paved with stone, concrete or other substance that will wear down their hooves. Hooves grow faster in wet climates, and we live in the lusciously green and rainy Pacific Northwest, so we have some experience in this area!
You can see Jon at right setting up for a day of hoof trimming in February 2003. We vaccinate our ewes about a month prior to lambing, so we plan for a hoof trim at the same time. This eliminates unnecessary additional handling of the ewe in late gestation.
We had five different groups of sheep to trim on this day; these photos will depict different sheep in various areas of our farm. Most of the trimming was done outdoors to take advantage of the unusually mild and dry weather for SW Washington in February! Below are shown photos of five different sheep getting their "pedicures." Our preferred hoof trimmers are the lightweight, smaller versions made by Burgon and Ball; the B&B Eze Trim.
Below: This horned ewe was the first to be caught. Some shepherds sit on a bale of hay for this procedure, or even on an old tire! Jon likes to sit on an upright bucket, which he claims gives him good balance. For the girls very close to lambing time, we trimmed their feet while they stood; I held the horns (or head if she is polled) and Jon lifted her feet one at a time and trimmed while straddling her body, facing her tail. In all other cases, the sheep is tipped on it's rear end and held against Jon's chest. Holding the foot by the "ankle" in his left hand, and holding the small hoof trimmers in his right, he has good leverage and control. The thumb and forefinger of his left hand can manipulate the hoof, should the angle need any slight alterations for easy trimming. After a wet and muddy winter, with no rocky areas on our farm, we are expecting to see some overgrown toes in our flock today.
Jon works quickly, so I wasn't able to get photos of the entire process on this ewe. Below left shows a back hoof in progress, and below right shows a finished hoof. There is a bit of mud left between her toes, which is normally removed before trimming. The goal is to trim off anything that has grown beyond the level bottom of the hoof, and has begun to curl around. Don't be afraid to slip the hoof trimmers underneath the overgrown part and snip it off evenly with the bottom of the hoof. If you are at all hesitant, go very lightly. A light hoof trim is my preference to a close trim, and it's always better than making the hoof bleed!
Above: In another alleyway on the other side of our farm, Piette gets a trim. Jon cuts away the overgrown heel of her front hoof. Above right is a close up of the same photo. Below: Jon trims the side of the same hoof. Below right is a close up of the same photo, in which you can see the blade slip underneath the overgrowth, in the process of trimming it off.
Below: Piette's hoof trim is finished! I should have cleaned the mud from between her toes before taking the photo, rather than after, but I was just lucky Jon slowed down long enough for me to get any photos at all!
Right: An adult ram gets his trim. It was easier to catch this next group inside the barn, so that's where they were done. Despite the horns and size of the boys, they are not any harder to do than the girls, and are often easier!
Hoof growth varies from sheep to sheep and even from pasture to pasture. All of our sheep had trims at the same time last year, yet many of them needed hardly a trim at all today, while others required more work. Below: Working in another area of our farm. This ram, Chinook, has rather overgrown feet. Below right: Jon trims along the side of Chinook's hoof, using the base (center of the hoof) as a guide to align against while trimming.
Below left: Jon trims the tip of Chinook's hoof, being careful not to cut too closely, as this
is where it's easy to make the hoof bleed. Below right: Jon trims the side of the opposing toe. Here you can see what has been done and what's about to be done.
Right: While this photo doesn't show much in the way of hoof trimming, it shows how horns can be used to advantage when positioning sheep for trimming. This boy; Jake, has such wide horns that Jon can get his leg between the ram's horn and cheek.
Left: The same hoof, nicely trimmed up! Notice how the sides, front, and back are now more or less level with the middle.
Below left: Using the trimmers to scrape away the mud and dirt from the hoof of our young ram, Degas, to see where to begin trimming. Below right: trimming the side and tip of Degas' hoof.
Below left: Degas' untrimmed back hoof. Below right: The same hoof, lightly trimmed.
