Learn how balanced nutrition, healthy rumen function, proper hoof care, hygiene and comfortable housing can help prevent lameness, strengthen hoof quality and protect milk yield and herd profitability.
Cows need to be very sure-footed. Lame cows move less, eat less, and produce up to 1,000 kg less milk per lactation. Statistically, approximately 15-20% of cows are culled due to hoof problems. However, the exact figure is difficult to measure in reality, as the data collection is often not precise enough (e.g., the hoof disease was a consequence of a metabolic problem).
Therefore, the following will primarily focus on the influence of feeding on hoof health in cattle and show what you can do.
The causes of hoof problems are diverse. Ultimately, the strength and resilience of the hooves can be influenced through nutrition. This means that the foundation for good hoof health is laid during the rearing phase.
A needs-based supply of all nutrients for calves is therefore absolutely essential. Presenting the lactation ration to calves is the first measure that should be changed. Due to their rapid growth, calves have completely different nutritional requirements than an adult dairy cow. Furthermore, the mineralisation of this ration is coupled with dry matter intake. This means that if a cow consumes 200g of minerals at 21 kg DM intake, calves from 3 months of age with 3.5 kg DM intake receive only about one-seventh of that, i.e., approximately 30g. If no further measures are taken for mineral supplementation, the useful life of the future dairy cow is already negatively affected at this stage. The development of cells, organ functions, bone growth, and hoof stability cannot occur optimally or be guaranteed. Diarrheal diseases during the drinking phase have similar consequences. These lead to an excessive flushing out of nutrients and impair nutrient absorption due to damaged mucous membranes. Numerous alternatives exist to enhance the cow's ration or to optimally provide calves with their own ration without much effort. This can be achieved, for example, through farm mixes (grain-mineral mix), dry TMR, lick blocks, etc. Especially with dry TMR or a farm mix, stocking can be managed over a longer period.
Hoof diseases lead to reduced milk yield and fertility, even to culling animals. In addition, there are veterinary costs and an enormous amount of time that must be spent on the intensive treatment of lame animals. Culling of cows due to hoof diseases has increased from 2% in the last 40 years to over 14%. Hoof diseases such as sole bruising, interdigital dermatitis (Dermatitis interdigitalis), or Mortellaro's disease (Dermatitis digitalis) are difficult problems to control. In addition, there are other painful hoof ailments such as Rusterholz's sole ulcer and laminitis, to name just a few.
Figure 1 shows the various influences that can affect hoof health.
Mortellaro's disease is one of the infectious hoof diseases in cattle. The main contributing factors are usually a weakened immune system or poor hygiene conditions in the animals' environment. Additionally, infection with this contagious disease depends on genetic predisposition. Some cows recover without problems, while others remain in a state where the disease can recur at any time. To prevent a chronic condition, the disease must be recognized and treated at an early stage.
Sole bruising is also an infectious hoof disease that can occur due to moisture or overly concentrated feeding. It manifests as horn decay and cracks between the weight-bearing surface and the soft heel, which can extend to the skin. Sole bruising often occurs together with Mortellaro's disease.
Most of the hoof ailments listed below occur in connection with poor hoof horn quality. Cracked, crumbly horn is an ideal entry point for bacteria that can cause infectious hoof damage.
| Cause | Disease |
| Feeding / metabolism, toxins | Laminitis |
| Incorrect load | Interdigital hyperplasia (limax, tyloma) Sole ulcer (rusterholz's, toe ulcer-stone bruise) |
| Infections | Panaritium (interdigital phlegmon) Mortellaro (dermatitis digitalis) Foot rot (dermatitis interdigitalis) Sole bruising |
According to recent findings, laminitis is considered one of the primary causes for the development of cracked and less resilient horn. Laminitis is triggered by a circulatory disorder of the dermis. This is often a consequence of metabolic disorders (e.g., rumen acidosis). Due to insufficient blood supply to the dermis, the regrowing horn is inadequately supplied with nutrients, and horn quality deteriorates. In extreme cases, the tip of the hoof sinks in the area of the wall dermis. Consequence: bruising of the sole dermis, widening of the white line, flattening of the hoof capsule. Preventive measures should always be taken to avoid infectious diseases. Provide barn-specific boots and overalls for both your own employees and external personnel. The acquisition costs are always lower than the treatment and losses due to hoof diseases. Particular caution should be exercised with individuals who regularly visit various farms and barns (such as veterinarians, consultants, contract feeders, etc.). Disinfection mats only help if they are used correctly, but with the coarse and deep tread of work shoes and boots, these are often insufficient.
The correct adjustment and frequency of slatted floor scrapers, as well as the consistent cleaning of intermediate areas where scrapers cannot reach, are crucial. Especially the areas around the drinking troughs and in the aisles often appear negatively in terms of cleanliness when looking into barns. Overflowing water should be stopped as quickly as possible.
Did you know? The barn hygiene product JOSERA Desan helps you ensure optimal hygiene in the barn.
Hoof health, in addition to hoof care and housing conditions, is also strongly influenced by feeding and ration design. Feeding errors do not immediately lead to lameness but become noticeable after at least 6 weeks. Since most hoof diseases occur towards the end of the first third of lactation, it can be assumed that feeding errors occurred during the dry period or at the beginning of lactation. The trigger is often disturbed rumen health. In most cases, rumen acidosis leads to such a disturbance.
Rumen acidosis is triggered either by a structural deficiency and/or an excessively high proportion of easily digestible carbohydrates in the ration. The ability to select feed also contributes to acidosis. However, the risk of rumen acidosis exists not only with high-performance rations with a milk production value of over 35 kg of milk and a correspondingly high energy and protein feed content. "Low-performance groups" are equally at risk if the energy supply does not match the milk yield, resulting in energetic overfeeding. Cows are true masters of feed selection. Especially with regard to climate and increasingly drier silages, the risk of selection increases rapidly. The only solution here is the use of wetter components or water to reduce the dry matter content and keep it in a range between 36-42%. Making a ration completely "unselectable" is almost impossible. Additional rumen protection through special feedstuffs is therefore almost mandatory with regard to hoof health and acidosis prevention. Both live yeasts, which reduce the lactic acid content in the rumen and thus actively counteract acidosis, and chemical buffers, such as sodium bicarbonate, can provide a remedy. Live yeast has the advantage over sodium bicarbonate that this measure can also increase feed intake and feed utilization, thus providing more nutrients for the formation and maintenance of healthy hooves.
Correct feed utilization and conversion in the animal plays a decisive role in hoof health and has been relatively little associated with diseases in the past. Many practical studies show that coarsely undigested feed residues are still too high (approx. 20-30%). The target value here is below 15%. This additional amount of nutrients alone can greatly help the cow to stabilize the immune system and hoof health. Hops, prickly poppy, and magnolia further improve nutrient conversion. These three components regenerate and ensure the functionality of the intestinal mucosa. A large part of the nutrients is absorbed and made available to the body in this area. This means significantly more can be provided from the cow's current ration.
If the following points, both from the area of feeding and cow comfort, are observed, and a keen eye is kept on the movement patterns of cows, a herd should have significantly fewer hoof diseases. This makes a significant contribution to getting cows through lactation better and reducing secondary effects such as fertility disorders. This saves costs and increases the enjoyment of milk production.
Conclusion
Farmers do not have to be powerless against hoof problems in the cow barn. The optimization of barn conditions and feeding is important. Since factors such as feed quality, climatic conditions, etc., are subject to constant change, these measures should be checked and, if necessary, adjusted at regular intervals.
