Lameness- A different perspective

Published on: Sep 5th, 2020

We are all in the mindset of prevention. This means there is no compromise in welfare as disease is minimised, and more satisfaction both emotionally in seeing a herd to be proud of, and financially due to the implications in health and productivity. Instead of looking as lameness negatively, the positive view is that a cow never going lame results in an increase of 305 day yield by 342Kg.
When it come to lameness prevention through the AHDB Healthy feet project we look at 4 areas as detailed below.

We can relate the problems we see in terms of the type of lameness e.g. Digital dermatitis, and prioritise our prevention to one of these areas. For instance little benefit with be gained if you concentrate on foot bathing, but have predominantly white line abscesses causing lameness in the herd.
  
With your good hoof-trimming records like those kept by Ray Creed, the practice hoof trimmer, a foot map can be created to help your farm team instigate a preventative approach resulting in improvement.

A focus on regular mobility scoring assessments with subsequent immediate remedial action upon a lame cow being identified. This with be done together with looking at cow flow into the collecting yard and ensuring that lying time is at a maximum, by giving the cows optimal cow cubicle comfort and access. Following herd mobility scoring Ray is trimming score 2 and 3 cow together with asking the vets to consider digit amputation in suitable cases. This has resulted in many more amputations being undertaken. This results in a cow having, on average, and extra lactation. I recently amputated a digit following routine hoof trimming on a farm, where the claw had a non-healing digital dermatitis lesion.

So this 342kg of milk yield is worth around £100.  This is really your break-even budget to invest in Lameness prevention !
We are here to help to advise you on lameness whether that be through our Hoof-trimming, Mobilty scoring or using our skills in giving you farm solutions.