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Apart from providing proper food and good housing to the goats, grooming them is also an important aspect that cannot be negated. Proper and regular grooming ensures the goat is in pink of its health, has proper growth and renders the best production of milk and meat. And hence grooming makes up essential criteria for goat care in similar lines to providing them food, water, and housing.
Regular grooming aids in preventing a potential health risk and renders one to nip it in the bud before it escalates further. Here in this article we offer you a detailed grooming guide for goats on the dos and don’ts and other necessary dimensions:
How does grooming help?
Grooming has various advantages apart from taking regular care of the goat. Regular grooming aids in creating a close bond between you and animals. In addition, it renders one to observe the animal closely and determine whether the goats have any health problems or not. One can observe it closely, its skin, hooves and rest of the body so as to render it proper care.
How to groom a goat?
- Brushing
Regular and periodic brushing is one of the essential aspects of grooming. It is necessary to brush the goats regularly except for their feeding time. However, it is necessary to have all the necessary paraphernalia for grooming. For getting rid of mud and surface dirt, you need to use a hard brush. Once you have got rid of the mud, use a curry comb. Brushing not only helps in getting out the dirt it also aids the goats a gentle massage.
Later use a soft brush to distribute oil across its skin. However, ensure to look for any lumps and bumps which can be caused due to some infections or wounds. Run your brush carefully over them without hurting the animal.
- Bathing
Bathing helps in getting rid of external parasites like lice and makes it easy to clip. For bathing use gentle warm water and wet them slightly. Later use appropriate goat shampoo and soap and rinse them further. It is recommended to keep a collar when bathing goats for preventing them from running.
- Clipping
Clipping aids in keeping the animal comfort during different seasons. While longer hair aids in keeping them warm during winter, shorter clips aid them during summer keeping them cooler during the warmer season. Based on the season and weather clip your goats. For clipping use sharp blades. It will also depend upon the length of hair and the texture.
- Trimming Hooves of Goats
Goats are active animals that are always on their feet running around. However, their activities depend a lot on their hooves. Get the hooves of your goat trimmed by experts after every 6 to 8 weeks. Ensure there are no sticks or rocks at the bottom and remove if any. Also, look for any foul smell which may be caused due to foot rot.
Regular grooming helps to keep the goat comfortable, hygienic and renders proper growth and maximum production.
