09/26/2026
Im going to revisit a topic we've discussed before, because its always good to have a reminder
Today's Topic- foot care
Llamas, alpacas, sheep and goats require foot care. Toes or hooves. It is an important part of animal husbandry. How often is determined on your animals individual needs. Many factors such as environment, breed, age, diet, and genetics play a factor into the answer. As always, you don't have to read this, but it's not going to hurt you if you do.
Animals on large acreage, with variable footing and a good mimicry of natural habitat can keep hooves in good shape, at least as good as nature.
Overgrown hooves in sheep and goats can result in many negative consequences- hoof rot, arthritis in the toes and/or knees, temporary or permanent damage to tendons or ligaments, permanent bone damage to the toes, and lack of activity to name a few.
Most small farms, and even a lot of big farms, don't really have enough space to mimic what one would find in wild territory, and therefore hooves/toes overgrow and require some type of maintenance.
My experience with llamas and alpacas over the years has led me to conclude that dark nailed camelids require less attention and trimming than their light colored counterparts. Dark nailed animals can do well on a 4 to 6 month schedule, while I've found white nailed animals do far better on a 2 month schedule, helping keep ahead of the curl.
My speculation is that dark toenails grow slower, and are harder, so they don't bend when they become longer, instead they wear or break off, whereas the white toenails grow fast, and are typically soft, and so, instead of wearing and/or breaking, they bend, and then as the bend grows it begins a curl, which can in turn then begin to affect the toe bones, creating twisted toes, resulting in stressed tendons, bone pain, arthritis, etc. This is just my opinion based upon 17 years of observation of 1000s of camelids, I have no articles or links to back it, just my opinion.
At any rate, it is a good idea to check their feet at least every couple months until you have an idea of the individual animals growth rate.
Sheep have no typical guideline, it all depends up your own farms individual set of circumstances as to when sheep need a trim, if at all. Range sheep keep their feet in better shape than dry lotted sheep or sheep in wet climates (like wonderful mud season in Oregon) etc.
Goats tend to do well between 2 and 4 months, depending on breed, environment, and diet. I find most clients on a rotating schedule have little problems and we have gaged appropriate intervals, don't experience a lot of rot or hoof and wall separation, and result in smooth low stress trims, which means everybody has a better time.
Animals left with overgrowth over excessive amounts of time require more attention to bring them back into shape. Long hooves or toes result in grown out qwiks, meaning another trim is necessary in a shorter time frame to go back to appropriate weight bearing and shape. I have found some animals that benefit from monthly trimming- older, larger goats for example.
There are exceptions to all things as with most things in life, but these are some guidelines I've found useful, and I hope you do too. No matter if you trim your own or hire out or a combination of the two. None of it is black or white. There is no hard fast answer to how often, it's all based on animals individual needs.
