Background: Since 2021, UVM Extension Dairy Specialists Whitney Hull and Kelsie (Meehan) Braam have been providing direct technical assistance to Vermont dairy farms as part of the Dairy Herd Management Technical Assistance (DHMTA) Program. Support is provided to farmers through direct consultations, including farm visits, workshops and longer-format educational programs. The DHMTA Team has expertise in herd health, milk quality, nutrition, grazing and pasture management, records analysis, and on-farm processing. 

In the spring of 2024, farms that had previously engaged with the DHMTA program were invited to apply for grants of up to $2,500 to support the adoption of a new practice or technique to improve overall dairy herd management on their operations. These small awards are intended to facilitate the trial of a new technology or practice to improve dairy herd management.

Six farms were awarded grants and this Farm Grant Profile series will highlight one farm grantee each month. 

Tup’s Crossing Farm was awarded a grant to purchase a battery-powered hoof trimmer.

Tup’s Crossing Farm is a goat dairy in Orwell, Vt. that manages a herd of 450 goats and ships milk year-round to Vermont Creamery. Tup’s Crossing freshens new milkers in the spring and fall for consistent year-round milk production and is currently part of an extended lactation study to examine the financial viability of longer lactations and fewer kiddings. The farm grazes their milking herd and youngstock from May through October.

Tup’s Crossing was awarded a grant to purchase an INAFCO-USA F3020 Battery-Powered Hoof Trimmer. The Dairy Herd Management Technical Assistance (DHMTA) Program team spoke with owner Holly Menguc about their experience with the new equipment:

Q: What management issue did this demonstration project address on your farm? 

A: Our project was focused on herd health. We used to trim hooves by hand with manual clippers, which is time-consuming and results in repetitive strain injuries to hands and wrists. Also, with a herd size of 450 animals, it was nearly impossible to keep up with twice-a-year hoof trimmings, which is what we’ve determined to be necessary for our herd.

The battery-powered hoof trimmer has allowed us to trim without hand strain and, as it is wearable and portable, allows us to clip across multiple housing locations. We expect that more frequently trimmed hooves will result in fewer leg injuries, improved hoof health herdwide, and a general improvement to goat comfort which, we have found, directly correlates to milk production.

Q: How did you track your progress or monitor your results during the project? 

A: We tracked the number of goats we were able to trim per hour and the length of time goats were handled during trimming sessions. 

Q: What were the findings from this project? 

Before, we could trim 15 goats in an hour on a good day. But the daily maximum was 30 goats because your hand gets exhausted and covered in blisters. With the electric hoof trimmer, we did 61 goats in 1 hour and 45 minutes (a rate of about 35 goats per hour) as one day’s work. And we can go back the next day and do it again. So, we doubled the daily and hourly rate, and we can keep up that daily rate over multiple days.   

We also reduced the handling time and stress on the goats, because they were restrained for half as long as before. 

Q: What benefits or challenges did you experience? 

A: One downside of the battery-powered trimmer is that it has a wireless safety feature that inhibits trimming. When you’re holding the machine in the hand you’re trimming with, the machine stops if your other hand gets too close to the blade. This setting is 4” (10cm) and my other hand is always this close because I’m holding the goat’s ankle. I had to turn this safety feature off, since there was no way to adjust the distance. Now I’m scared of losing a finger. It seems like a design oversight. I am going to see if there is a way to re-set the distance. It’s a great machine, but this feature is a problem because the sensor distance is too wide.

Another challenge of using the battery-powered trimmer is that it is not as refined as doing it by hand. With the electric trimmers, I do 2 to 3 cuts per toe. With hand clippers, it would be 8 cuts, and more refined. With more time and practice using the electric hoof trimmer, I expect to get better.  

The hoof trimmer is very sharp and powerful, which is both a benefit and a challenge. It cuts quickly and can cut through hooves that have calcified, but there is a risk of cutting yourself or the goat if you’re not careful. I would not recommend this hoof trimmer to anyone who isn’t already very experienced with hand-trimming hooves.

We’ve also found that using this hoof-trimmer requires two people: one person rounding up goats to supply the person trimming, and the trimmer with a steady supply of goats to work with.

Aspects of the hoof-trimmer that we’ve liked are the “soft blade” safety feature, which closes the blade more slowly with the trigger, and the fact that it is powered by a rechargeable battery. The battery rides in a backpack that you strap around you. That’s a major benefit for goats. If the goats are bothering or biting the cable, you can run it inside a long-sleeve shirt to make it goat-proof.  

Overall, I’ve found that this battery-powered hoof trimmer is absolutely a necessity for a herd of my scale.