See infograph on Lameness
See products for hoof care
Read more on cow longevity
Sources
After 130 years of serving dairy farmers worldwide DeLaval’s vision for the future is that we should make sustainable food production possible. We do this by working towards the reduction of the environmental footprint of farms, while increasing food production, farm profitability and improving the well-being of the people and animals involved. Read more
Every dairy should have a good herdsman responsible for observing cows for clinical lameness and making sure that they get treated promptly.While research indicates that automated lameness detection shows promise, Steven Berry thinks there is currently no system that can replace human observation. Read more
Lameness is detrimental to animal welfare and fertility, and it is one of the three main reasons for involuntary culling. When dairy cows are confined, as in a free stall system, their feet and legs are affected by wear, trauma, and by microorganisms. The cow’s ability to rest, stand and walk must be optimized. Read more
A turnover of cows on a dairy farm is to be expected, as farmers remove cows because of low milk production or sell them. However, much of the low longevity of dairy cows results from involuntary culling because of poor health or fertility problems. High rates of involuntary culling on a farm are a sign of poor animal welfare and are very costly to dairy producers. Read more
The health of hooves and legs is of crucial importance for dairy performance, longevity of the cows and for production economy. More than ninety per cent of cases of lameness can be related to hoof lesions but far from all diseases causes lameness. Read more
Although cows are social animals, they compete for access to resources, such as food and lying areas. This competition can lead to stress responses, and dairy cows, especially high-producing cows, may find themselves in a trade-off situation between lying and eating if they are under time constraints. Read more
Lameness is a huge problem with confined dairy cows and represents one of the major reasons cows are culled. Substantial economic loss by dairy farmers can occur when lameness is not controlled. Lameness has been shown to be followed by delayed estrus, poor breeding performance, shortened lactation, low yield of milk fat and a sudden drop in body weight (Dewes, 1978) all of which can cost the dairy producer money. Read more
