Hoof diseases: Indicators of the husbandry environment

Source: Landwirt.com

High-yielding dairy cows have increasing demands. Only when the animals receive optimal care will they be able to produce the expected milk quantities.

Husbandry conditions have a tremendous impact on animal welfare. It has been recognized that typical claw diseases are multifactorial, infectious diseases, and that laminitis can also serve as an indicator disease for husbandry errors. Through thorough documentation of the respective claw diseases, clues to specific causes of the frequently occurring problems can be specifically addressed.

Pay attention to housing conditions

Experience from recent years has shown that keeping dairy cattle in so-called cold/open barns can have a positive impact on their health and well-being. Adequate ventilation is a necessary alternative. Heat stress can cause laminitis and Mortellaro's disease. Floors must be non-slip and easy to clean. Furthermore, hoof wear must be ensured at the correct level. Cows should generally move around the barn. The problem is the dirty and often slippery surfaces. Manure on the hooves leads to skin damage and is a dangerous reservoir of germs. Slippery floors force cows to take short steps and can imperceptibly increase the load they need to walk on. It also makes observing estrus immensely difficult. Furthermore, cows feel extremely uncomfortable on slippery floors. The stress can even strain the entire organism, weakening the body's immune system.

Include appropriate mass

The dimensions of the walkways should allow unhindered passage even for lower-ranking animals. 2.50 m is a minimum in the lying area, and at least 4 m is required behind the feeding fence. Raised steps (1.60 m long with partitions) are recommended and promote hoof health due to dry conditions. Adequate passages reduce the risk of stress-induced laminitis. Stress-induced laminitis is – alongside feeding-induced laminitis – one of the main causes of hoof problems. Conventional slatted floors must have a sufficient, but not excessive, slat width (tread width 80 mm, maximum slot width 35 mm). Narrower slats are necessary in young cattle barns. The manure removal edges must be deburred with an angle grinder. The usual method of grinding with an iron pipe leads to broken edges. These, along with minor steps or wobbly elements, often cause sidewall defects due to slipping. In addition, unstable footing leads to enormous stress. Regular cleaning of walking and standing areas at least twice a day is essential and should not be neglected due to time constraints. Cleaning robots are a recommended alternative. A paved floor is a viable alternative to slatted floors. Careful and level installation of the floor by experienced companies is a prerequisite for a clean and, if possible, dry stable. An automatic scraper with a rubber flap is required for cleaning at least every two to three hours. Concrete loses sufficient slip resistance after just two to five years. Mastic asphalt retains its original slip resistance for longer, but then often becomes extremely rough due to the loss of bitumen caused by the sharp aggregates. Rubber mats can be applied to perforated and paved walking areas to repair smooth or easily abrasive surfaces, as well as when re-covering surfaces. These mats are considered favorable with regard to the animals' natural movement behavior and the development of stress-induced laminitis. Hoof problems related to stress are reduced, and infectious diseases are not encouraged.

Increase sleeping quality

A cow should lie in the cubicle for approximately 12 to 14 hours, with breaks. The hoof corium recovers from the pressure of walking and is well supplied with blood. The hoof horn can dry out, and the surrounding skin and interdigital skin also dry out. This helps reduce germs.

The minimum requirements for cubicles are:

• sufficient number
• Sufficiently dimensioned: unhindered laying down and standing up possible (swing space)
• undisturbed, relaxed lying
• Lying surfaces insulating and deformable
• clean and dry lying areas

A "bow board" (half-pipe/flexible board) no more than 15 cm high prevents slipping forward; avoiding this is preferable. Control elements such as dividers and neck bars should be designed to approximate the known standard values, with the actual herd being the deciding factor. Head pipes must never impede the swing space; at most, they serve as a barrier against passage at a height of 1.10 m. The bedding in all types of boxes must be insulating and malleable. Additional organic bedding is essential for all high-ceiling boxes to absorb feces and urine residue. The bedding area must be completely covered. Chopped straw, long straw, or softwood sawdust are possible. Clean twice a day and add bedding at least once a day – the animals will accept the boxes much better. For low-ceilinged boxes with bedding, straw and chopped straw are recommended, and separation materials are also conceivable. Straw-manure mattresses, but especially lime-straw mattresses, are durable bedding options. This, for example, can ensure that the front surface of the carpal joint sinks sufficiently when standing up – only in this way is acceptable weight distribution on these joints possible when lying down and standing up. In addition, the deep box in the rear area must be cleaned and freshly filled twice a day. A complete cleaning and disinfection must be carried out twice a year if necessary. Recently, the use of sandboxes has been increasingly promoted, as they can offer excellent lying quality. However, technical problems with the disposal of the material often lead to alternatives. Drinking facilities are important not only for milk production but also for hoof health. A sufficient number of drinking facilities must be available to ensure that even lower-ranking animals have an adequate water supply. One drinking trough should be available for 20 cows, and the trough should be at least 7 cm wide so that the cow can drink at least 14 liters per minute. A lack of water can result in laminitis caused by feeding or stress.

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