Goat Maintenance
How often should I trim hooves? When do you routinely administer herbs and medications? Use this group t... View more
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Reply To: Hoof Care Information
“We successfully developed a reliable method for assessing hoof conformation in dairy goats using photographs. Two aspects of hoof conformation that were subjectively assessed were validated by the comparison of the subjective scores with objective measures. The use of photographs with scale markers allowed for objective measures to be completed; however, this was time consuming and required technical equipment. As two of the subjective scores were shown to correspond to objective measures, they are suitable methods for conformation assessment. High levels of accuracy and reliability (>0.8) were achieved on the photographs in this study; if higher levels were required, than collapsing the scores into a binary method should be considered. Nevertheless, further work is required to test the reliability and practicality of subjective hoof conformation assessment on live animals and to determine if it is applicable in an on-farm setting.”
