Fall always welcomes more cases of lameness in dairy herds. Anecdotally, it can be associated with long days of standing on concrete in the summer and additional wet hoof scenarios caused by sprinklers intended to cool cows. Even in facilities that don’t have barns and cooling, foot troubles can rise with more standing time from fly and heat pressure.
Whatever the scenario, Ohio State’s Jason Hartschuh would suggest that lameness in the herd can be prevented with thoughtful planning and the right tools.
The Ohio State University extension field specialist detailed his three keys for good foot health in a recent Buckeye Dairy News.
“Barn hygiene practices, such as preventative hoof trimming and regular alley scrapping, are critical for hoof health, but these practices also need to include the regular use of a footbath with a disinfectant to control foot rot and digital dermatitis,” he detailed.
Regular trimming and scraping
The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Veterinary Medicine recommends preventative trimming every four to six months. In high-risk animals, the vets suggest trimming or at least inspecting those cows’ hooves every three to four months. Ideally, lactating cows would be trimmed sometime during the first 60 to 150 days in milk and again before dry-off.
As for the regular scraping suggested by Hartschuh, it depends on the facility. He recommends two to three times per day if possible with continually mechanical scraping being ideal.
The final critical component of herd foot health according to Hartschuh is properly maintained and utilized footbaths.
“The foot bath should be a minimum of 10 feet long,” he detailed. “The solution depth in the foot bath should be 4 inches.”
Additionally, he recommended a 24-inch-wide footbath with solid walls rising at least 3 feet on each side. Further, he favored a bath with one side that could be removed in case a cow fell. When considering frequency of footbath use, Hartschuh suggested three times a week with the bath solution being effective for 150 to 350 cow passes.
The right solution
Finally, Hartschuh discussed footbath solution options.
“Copper sulfate is the best option due to its antibacterial properties and the hardening effect on the claw horn at a cost of about $42 per cow per year with four uses per week,” he explained. “Formalin also kills bacteria and hardens the claw horn. Treatment concentrations of formalin should be maintained at 3% to 5% with caution to not exceed 5% due to risk of chemical burn.”
“Zinc sulfate has efficacy in controlling digital dermatitis at a concentration of 5% to 20% zinc sulfate,” he continued.
With those options in mind, Hartschuh reminded readers to choose the one that was the best fit for the goals of the farm.
“Utilizing proper footbath practices will help keep cows walking to the feedbunk and milking parlor,” he concluded.
