Cow Health
5 factors that influence hoof health
That good hoof health in cows is important, everyone readily agrees. But why in practice is it sometimes quite a challenge to maintain hoof health? Hoof health is influenced by several factors that together determine how well a cow can move. This can be summarised as:
Locomotion = Barn design + Hygiene & Climate + Preventive hoof care + Nutrition
In a series of five articles, hoof health expert André Janse, Farm Management Specialist at Lely, takes a closer look at this topic and shares valuable insights and practical tips.
Nutrition 5/5
Cow nutrition has a major influence on resilience to infectious (resistance) and non-infectious diseases (horn strength versus peak loads). It is sometimes claimed that 50% of good hoof health is nutrition. A healthy cow possesses a healthy resistance, and this helps arm her against the occurrence of, - and consequences of infectious diseases.
In addition, a cow should be fed according to her needs so that she does not fall into a negative energy balance, forcing her to burn her own fat reserves. This balanced diet is particularly important during transition, in preparation for the next lactation. An imbalance in this phase causes problems in the next lactation and is often the cause of subsequent problems such as lower production and poorer fertility.
For example, what happens in the final stage of gestation and when the calf is born? The calf in the uterus grows rapidly and takes up more and more space, reducing the space available in the rumen. A high-pregnant cow will therefore be able to absorb less volume of feed, which can cause an energy deficit. This can be solved by installing concentrated feeding stations, such as the Lely Cosmix where, via the Horizon software management system for dry cows, it is set that only the high-pregnant animals can receive a supplementary number of pellets. Or working with a different PMR (partial mixed ration) for the group of animals closer to calving.
By the time birth is imminent, the tendon plates in the cow's pelvis slacken, releasing the calf's birth path. This happens under the influence of the hormone relaxin in the cow. This relaxin also causes the tendons and horny parts in the hoofs to slacken, making the animal extra vulnerable around the birth of her calf, for example, to peak loads. In addition, a negative energy balance in this phase causes fat reserves to be drawn on and burned, including from the fat pad in the hoof, reducing the necessary cushioning from the stratum corneum to the hoof bone. So, in addition to appropriate nutrition in the transition period, appropriate housing for these animals in transition is again essential in this phase.
