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During calving, cows are often under pressure going from calving down to milking, and from cubicles to paddocks. The frequency of movement can result in lameness very easily.
With calving season is well underway, we can expect the frequency of lameness issues across the country to increases in the first three months after calving is finished.
The lead up to and the calving period itself can be a stressful time for both the cows and the farmer. Adding lameness into the scenario only adds more costs and a headache.
Cows are more than likely under a lot pressure and stress as they prepare for calving, which is why it is crucial to handle them with care while moving and herding them in the lead up to and around calving.
Cows will be used to limited walking during the winter months and as a result, walking on roadways out to paddocks can come as a bit of a shock to an already weakened hoof after calving.
The weakened hoof
As cows prepare for calving, they release a hormone called relaxin which causes ligaments to soften in order to accommodate for the calving process, otherwise known as ‘the dropping of the pin bones’.
This hormone also affects the ligaments supporting the pedal bone, which is a small bone about 5cm long that sits within the hoof of a dairy cow.
Softening of the ligaments supporting this bone may result in the bone becoming unstable, and, when this bone moves, it can cause the sole of the hoof to bruise and result in a weaker hoof horn developing.
A softer horn is less durable, which means the cow is at high risk of becoming lame in the few months after calving.
This hormone affects all cows for a couple of weeks before calving and for one or two weeks post-calving, meaning that we are in the midst of the high risk period right now.
When a cow loses a bit of her body condition score (BCS) in the early post-calving period, it will result in cows being more susceptible to lameness.
Making sure you are maximizing the cow’s dry matter intake (DMI) and ensuring they are receiving all the essential minerals and vitamins will actually help with preventing lameness, as well as drive on cow performance.
Making sure the cows have an appropriate allocation of grass, balanced with a couple of kilograms of meal and silage will fulfil their 15-16kg DMI at this time of the year.
Research has shown that cows that are thin, with a BCS of less than 2.75 are at a much greater risk of becoming lame, as, within the hoof, there is a pad of fat that acts as an anti-concussion or shock absorber.
When cows are thin or lose weight, this fat will become smaller, which will result in less absorption and can lead to the cow becoming lame, which highlights the importance of keeping the cow at an appropriate BCS through a balanced diet that does not pinch on intakes.
Preventing lameness
The crucial thing at this time of the year is letting the cows drift out to grazing as they please, as they are not used to the stone roadways. With conditions at this time of the year being far from perfect, roadways may not be sufficiently compact and smooth.
When moving cows around during and prior to calving, cows should be moved gently and avoid running, pushing, or competing for space.
Let the cows idle at their own pace until their hooves adapt to the slightly rougher surface and longer walking distances – the same applies when herding them back into the parlour.
Make sure to keep roadways as clean as possible at this time of the year and be particularly cautious of the area between the roadway to concrete as pebbles can often flick up.
When a cow stands on a pebble or stone on concrete, there is no give on the concrete, which means the stone will cause bruising on the sole of the hoof.
This concrete to roadway area should constantly be swept and cleaned. Alternatively, a strip of astro-turf can be put down before the concrete to flick and brush stones off the cow’s hoof before it reaches the concrete.
If cows become lame, prompt treatment is needed to prevent BCS loss and to help the cows calve down with ease.
Routine hoof trimming is an important part of maintaining healthy hoof shape and growth, which makes the hoof more resistant to injury.
If mortellaro is present in the herd, farmers should put their cows through a number of footbaths as cows are going out to grass.
Concentrate feeding should be fed gradually to cows after calving, and farmers should familiarize themselves with mobility scoring and use it to identify mildly lame cows.
Source: Agriland
