Reducing the Cost of Lameness

 

It’s 8:30am on a cold August morning, three hours since cups on and now, as you finish hosing out, you are keen to get home for some Weetbix and a cuppa.   Trouble is you will both have to stay and leg-rope 207 and 350.  Number 57 and 20 also looked to be limping but hopefully they will be OK tomorrow because with feeding out and calving rounds there are more urgent things that need doing today.

 

Lameness is a big problem in the dairy industry costing time and money.  A recent survey on lameness rates in Southland and Canterbury found with 10% of the herd lame at some time during the season, lameness could cost a 461 cow farm $58,272 in lost income. Time involved in dealing with a lame cow, lost production, treatment costs, reduced fertility, and increased chance of a cow being culled due to lameness all contributed to this staggering figure.

 Some of the costs seem obvious, for example milk lost during treatment withholding periods, but what about the lost production you don’t always see.  A lame cow takes longer to get to the paddock, then sits down rather than graze. You may find many of your ‘empties’ were lame during mating as not being 100% healthy can reduce her reproductive ability. 

 

Another very serious cost to add-in is the risk of injury to staff.  Being in the hoof care business we have many farmers show us their injuries.  Cutting into a 500kg cow’s sore hoof while she is restrained with nothing more than rope is asking for trouble. A worker out of action during calving, or the cow dislocating a hip during treatment is expensive, and these ‘accidents’ need not occur.

 

So what can be done?  Ever tried walking bare-foot down your race from paddock to shed?  Now try doing it with your head up so you can’t see where you are placing your foot.  Races should be smooth and contoured so the top layer will not wash-away after rain exposing the stones beneath.  Do not hurry the cows down the race.  They too need to see to choose foot placement.  Check your yard for uneven surfaces, and do not push them hard in the yard.  Also be aware of stones flicked onto the yard. Hooves come under a lot of strain as they turn out of the shed – rubber matting can be a great aid here as can foot baths to harden hooves.  And finally nutrition is vitally important.  We have noticed the incidence of lameness increasing, due maybe in part to the increased use of supplements and nitrogen.

 

Unfortunately being vigilant with prevention will not solve everything.  There will always be a hobbling hoof needing treatment.   Teach your staff how to spot a lame cow before it gets serious. An early indication a cow has a painful hoof is her arching her back while walking.  A quick check and some time grazing near the shed may save you some time in the long run.  Early detection and treatment is vital in reducing the cost of lameness in your herd and staff are more likely to check cows if it’s not such a difficult job.

 

Good facilities are an essential investment.  The cow needs to be well restrained to prevent injuries to her or you.  There must be support under her to prevent her going down while her leg is raised.  The hoof being examined needs to be well restrained and accessible with no obstructions to blunten your hoof knife or your hand!  When examining a front hoof, you should also ensure the back hoof cannot kick you.  Talk to your vet about correct trimming techniques.  You will find that with the cow restrained you are better able to take your time in examining the hoof, and training others.  It should also mean only one person is required so the rest can go home for breakfast, or get some other jobs done.  

 

Such crushes are commonplace in America and Europe.  Each farmer either has one or uses one. In New Zealand we have huge herd sizes walking many kilometres every day yet do not always count the cost of hoof care. However since the introduction of the Wrangler, the scene has altogether changed.  Nine years ago when it was patented, many viewed it as a great idea but non-essential.  We now get calls from farmers sick of being belted by cows, and wanting one as soon as possible as they have 40 in the lame cow mob.  Experienced shed manufacturers are incorporating Race Wranglers into new shed designs as key equipment.

 

The former procedure of flying hooves, verbal backlash, and ‘hold her tight so I can look at this before she breaks loose’ is hopefully a thing of the past.  With a combination of good race and shed design, quiet stockmanship, and good treatment facilities, lameness incidence, frustration, and costs can be greatly reduced.

 

Poor Feeding