MMN November 2024 – A Recap on Winter Lameness Management: Prevention is Better than Cure

The estimated average cost of a case of lameness in dairy cows is £180. Whilst we are all aware of the risks and costs of cattle lameness, it can sometimes be easy to fall into the position of firefighting rather than fireproofing when winter work starts to get busy. Housing cattle can often be more labour intensive than grazing them and for farms that only house in the winter rather than year-round, it may have been a few months since lameness was at the forefront of management considerations. Planning for hoof health can help prevent the incidence of lameness, minimise yield losses, improve welfare and most importantly minimise the time you have to spend at the cattle crush over the winter months.

Managing the herd

When cattle are grazing, disease-related lameness (e.g. digital dermatitis) is generally less of a risk. However, even whilst the risk is lower it is still a good idea to run the herd through the footbath occasionally, especially in the weeks leading up to housing to ensure that the incidence of disease-causing bacteria coming into the shed are as low as possible. Foot bathing regularly to keep these bacterial populations down is important, not just for the milking herd but also for youngstock and dry cows. Make sure that you prepare the footbath with the correct concentration for your footbath product, as guidance can vary slightly between products and so switching products can sometimes catch you out. For larger herds it is also recommended that the footbath is replenished during the milking, so the efficacy of the footbath is the same for the last cow as it was for the first cow. The rule of thumb is 100 litres of footbath per 100 cow passes.

Routine hoof trimming to ensure the correct weight distribution across the hooves can help avoid lameness issues such as ulcers and white line disease. Hoof trimming should be undertaken at least once if not twice a year. Dry-off or just after dry -off is a popular time to trim to ensure that the cow is going into her next lactation on good feet. If doing a second trim as well, this is often done at around 100 days in milk. Routine mobility scoring of the cows can also help to identify issues early and minimise the severity and loss associated with lameness incidence.

Nutrition can also play a role in the management of lameness. Managing body condition is important as a low body condition score can lead to reduced thickness of the fat pad in the hoof which can increase the risk of claw horn lesions (see figure 1). Very high starch diets can also be problematic as it can cause acidosis in the rumen which can potentially lead to laminitis. Biotin and chelated zinc inclusion in a mineral supplement are proven to aid horn quality and reduce the risk of lameness.