Management Practices For Healthy Feet

Lameness is a pervasive, far-reaching problem that silently reduces profitably by deteriorating the cow’s overall health through decreased mobility, feed intake, reproduction and production. Research has found that lameness can affect 4 to 55 percent of cows in individual herds annually. (Blowey 1993) This statistic helps us understand why 74 percent of culled cows have serious foot problems. (McDaniel 1994)

Lameness diminishes profit because it:

• requires extra management time
• increases concentrate feed costs due to less dry matter intake
• reduces milk and meat yields
• complicates heat detection and increases breeding costs
• extends calving intervals and generates fewer calves
• increases cull rates and leads to higher replacement costs

By just looking at reduced milk production, we can see how lameness sharply affects profit. Some studies suggest that lame cows experience 10 to 35 pounds of milk loss per day.

What can you do?

• Achieve a "team" approach to your hoof care maintenance program
• Open lines of communication are needed between staff, vet, nutritionist & hoof care specialist
• Keep hoof care records on your herd
• Include springing heifers in your hoof care program
• Introduce springing heifers to concrete 6-8 weeks before calving
• Optimum times for hoof maintenance are 3-6 weeks prior to calving and 100 to 120 days in milk
• In concrete environments claws need to be rebalanced to reduce wear on the medial claw heel and to promote straight tracking cows
• A well designed foot bath protocol should be strictly adhered to
• Treat active footwart lesions early and if bandaging, remove wraps after 48 hours to avoid anerobic environment for the lesion
• Use a qualified hoof care specialist

Posted Dec 18th

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