Hoof Maintenance and the Dairy Cow
One key to preventing infectious hoof disease is in proper hoof maintenance. The healthy cow hoof tends to grow about five millimeters per month. Depending on the walking surface of the cow, the hoof will wear at varying rates. The toe tends to wear more slowly because it is harder and the heel wears faster since the horn is softer.
One of the first things to do when evaluating your dairy herd is to take notice of the surface that they spend the majority of their time standing on. Floors or ground surfaces that increase rates of lameness are those that are too rough, too smooth, too soft, or too wet. The dairy manager should reduce the abrasiveness of new concrete flooring, and roughen or groove old concrete flooring which often becomes smooth and slippery over time.
Removing cattle from concrete flooring to a dirt lot or pasture for several hours a day is also conducive to the maintenance of clean dry feet. In addition to placing cows on proper flooring, free stall beds should be kept as smooth and as dry as possible to promote cow comfort and to encourage dairy cattle to lie down and get off of their feet. Viral infections of the foot can be prevented by maintaining a dry bed and providing a clean foot bath containing copper sulfate or formalin.
To complete this lameness prevention plan, a trained farrier should inspect the feet of every cow at least twice a year and make the appropriate corrective trimming. To properly inspect the feet, the farrier must look at the bottom of the hoof. Many hooves that appear healthy from the top reveal lesions or excessive wear when picked up for inspection. Lame cattle or those with problem feet should be blocked up off of the affected hoof and treated as necessary.
Paying attention to hoof health has a high cost-benefit ratio. The easier it is for a cow to walk to her food and water sources, the more money she is going to make for you. By implementing these cattle management strategies you can establish an effective protocol to reduce lameness and maintain a profitable herd.
If you have any tips for hoof maintenance please post them here and share your knowledge.
One of the first things to do when evaluating your dairy herd is to take notice of the surface that they spend the majority of their time standing on. Floors or ground surfaces that increase rates of lameness are those that are too rough, too smooth, too soft, or too wet. The dairy manager should reduce the abrasiveness of new concrete flooring, and roughen or groove old concrete flooring which often becomes smooth and slippery over time.
Removing cattle from concrete flooring to a dirt lot or pasture for several hours a day is also conducive to the maintenance of clean dry feet. In addition to placing cows on proper flooring, free stall beds should be kept as smooth and as dry as possible to promote cow comfort and to encourage dairy cattle to lie down and get off of their feet. Viral infections of the foot can be prevented by maintaining a dry bed and providing a clean foot bath containing copper sulfate or formalin.
To complete this lameness prevention plan, a trained farrier should inspect the feet of every cow at least twice a year and make the appropriate corrective trimming. To properly inspect the feet, the farrier must look at the bottom of the hoof. Many hooves that appear healthy from the top reveal lesions or excessive wear when picked up for inspection. Lame cattle or those with problem feet should be blocked up off of the affected hoof and treated as necessary.
Paying attention to hoof health has a high cost-benefit ratio. The easier it is for a cow to walk to her food and water sources, the more money she is going to make for you. By implementing these cattle management strategies you can establish an effective protocol to reduce lameness and maintain a profitable herd.
If you have any tips for hoof maintenance please post them here and share your knowledge.
posted by Daniel Montoya at 3:06 PM
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