As we enter into the final few weeks before the breeding season, it is crucial that cases of lameness are kept to a minimum and that they do not interfere with the cows’ oestrus cycle.
As we know, lameness is a severely painful condition that can have hugely negative effects on animal productivity and can also compromise welfare.
As lameness affects the cow’s normal behaviour and because she will be lying down more to rest the affected hoof or limb, she will eat less and be less likely to show normal oestrus behaviour.
This is why it is crucial to identify any cows that are lame in the herd now, so that they can get back to their normal behaviour before the breeding season comes around.
Farmers should keep a close eye on them between now and breeding, and carry out locomotion scoring, which will score the cows from worst affected to the best on how they travel on their feet.
Now, obviously, when cows are going in for milking, the worst affected cows tend to straggle behind and are in obvious need for hoof trimming or treatment, depending on cause.
However, locomotion scoring helps you identify cows before they get to that critical stage.
Locomotion scoring is a five-point system based on both gait and posture, and is scored as follows:
- Normal: The cow is not lame; the back is flat;
- Mildly lame: The back is slightly arched when walking;
- Moderately lame: The back is arched when both standing and walking. The cow walks with short strides in one or more legs;
- Lame: The lame cow can still bear some weight on the affected foot;
- Severely lame: The back is arched; the cow refuses to bear weight on the affected foot and remains recumbent
Note: Some observers use a four-point scoring system, referring to normal as zero.
A cow’s hind foot should land in the same place as her front foot; failure to do this may be an indication of a lameness issue.
Lameness
When cows or heifers are lame, stress hormones are released, which can interfere with normal functioning of the rumen and interfere with the endocrine system that regulates the reproductive system.
The knock-on effect of this is that lameness can then significantly reduce milk production and fertility, meaning that lame cows are at greater risk of early culling.
Preventing lameness in heifers is particularly crucial as if a cow becomes lame once, she is much more likely to become lame again in the future.
Lameness in heifers can have a severe impact on their overall lifetime performance within the herd.
When a cow or heifer is lame, structural changes occur within the hoof and a new bone can grow on the surface of the pedal bone, which leads to the sole of the hoof becoming vulnerable.
The aim should obviously be to prevent lameness altogether, but for heifers, delaying the first episode of lameness for as long as possible is key to life-long hoof health while maximising overall lifetime performance.
Preventing lameness for any animal starts with managing all the environmental risk factors to avert damage to the hoof, which at this time of the year will involve getting laneways in good condition and ensuring roadways are wide enough for the number of cows.
Another thing to ensure that heifers are not shoved or bullied, which will force them to use their hooves to stay upright, is making sure the collecting yard has adequate space of 1.5m2/animal and that there is enough feed space (at least 0.60m/cow).
When a heifer or cow calves, their hooves are at their most vulnerable to damage because of the relaxation of ligaments caused by hormonal changes, which means they have to be handled and moved around with care in the lead to breeding.
If there are a number of cows or heifers lame in the herd, you need to consult with your vet or hoof trimmer as soon as possible and firstly identify whether it is infectious or non-infectious hoof lesions.
Infectious lameness like digital dermatitis (mortellaro) or sole ulcers will have to be treated with regular foot bathing, while non-infectious or physical lameness like white line disease or sole bruising will have to be hoof trimmed and treated accordingly.
