Cleaning the hooves of cows. Trimming the hooves of cows. What causes lameness in cows

Anatomical and physiological features

The hoof-horn formation located around the phalanges of the fingers in mammals is equivalent to human nails. That is, these are transformed areas of the skin without the lower layer, with the epidermis turned into a callus.

They are responsible for serious functions:

• support;
• shock absorption;
• joint protection.

The average hoof growth per month is 5 - 8 mm. Pruning and clearing usually occurs 2 times a year, but it all depends on the individual.

Causes

Cow trimming is a regular procedure for the entire herd, however, in some cases, the animal needs individual care. Reasons for unscheduled pruning:

1. The decrease in physical activity is a serious difficulty for the conservation of industrial animal husbandry. Due to the neglect of the grazing of cows, the blood circulation in the foot decreases up to 15 times. This is fraught with slow growth of the hoof, it is not replaced by a new one. The hoof is sometimes referred to as the peripheral heart, due to the increased circulation to the limb. Therefore, good care accompanies the productive work of the blood, the regeneration of tissue nutrition and positive changes in them.
2. A balanced diet improves the quality of the keratinized epidermis of the leg. But the lack of vitamins, gray and zinc substances in the feed violate it. Protein and fat products also improve the keratinization of the skin.
3. Poor housing conditions: high humidity in the barn due to lack of ventilation, stagnation of manure in the tray, untimely cleaning of the manure lead to destruction of the hoof horn.
4. Congenital pathologies, distortion of the location of the limbs. This leads to a deviation of the fulcrum on the side wall. But direct placement gives the hooves the opportunity for full contact with the ground, thereby evenly distributing the weight.

Circumcision rules

The day before the procedure, place the cow on a bed of wet sawdust. This will help to soften the hard horn a bit so it will work more easily. Trimming of a strongly regrown hoofed horn occurs when using a hoof knife, tongs, a rasp, and scissors. The procedure is carried out by two people. You need to start with the inner hoof.

Procedure steps:

• fixing the cow in a standing position to the machine or feeder with a rope;
• binding of the processed limb to any well-fixed object;
• for the recalcitrant and too violent, some antipsychotic drug can be injected;
• with a special knife, a cut is made of the old gray, fragile layer from the sole until a light, elastic white line appears;
• be careful not to cut off the extra layer of the epithelium;
• 1-3 mm below the sole, the teeth of the forceps are set to smooth out the irregularities of the hoof wall;
• align the line of the heel with the fingers;
• cut off the pieces of wool sticking out through the toes;
• leveling the sole with a file;
• put the cow on a flat surface to assess the correctness of the current position of the limbs.

Make sure that after the procedure there are no cracks and cuts, because they can cause suppuration. If wounds appear, immediately treat them with iodine.

Why you need trimming and trimming

Benefits of hoof trimming:

1. Improving the health status of cattle.
2. Increasing milk yield, increasing productivity.
3. Protects ligaments from sprains.
4. Ensuring the activity of the cow.

The subtleties of the procedure

For greater safety, hoof trimming can be organized in special machines. They are designed taking into account the anatomical features of animals. Often machines are equipped with various lifting devices to lift and fix the leg at the appropriate height. The price of such services varies, depending on the complexity.

You can trim the hooves in the stall. The work will be successful with the help of an assistant who must hold the legs during processing. Initially, the cow must be fixed with an auxiliary axial crossbar. A halter is attached to the cow near the feeder and the movements of the head are limited. With ropes that can be fastened together or tied to stall posts, limbs are fixed.

How to care

Trimming the hoof horn is not the only important detail in the comprehensive care of the cow's legs. The farmer or any owner should remember about the normal diet, which includes minerals and vitamins. Minimal humidity, maximum cleanliness and dryness in the livestock house.

Periodic pruning at least 2 times a year. Do not forget to inspect the animal, especially its limbs. If cracks, creases are noticed - you need to cut them off, if the hooves are full of dirt and manure - clean them with a knife and rinse with water. At the same time, avoid lubrication of substances that make the hooves brittle and loose, it can be kerosene, tar or ointments.

In winter and during calving, monitor the health of livestock more closely, because this period is the most terrible for deformations, pathologies and other diseases. Wash and treat the whole body and legs regularly.

Cattle hoof trimming, cows, Belarus, May 2017, on YouTube video.

Trimming of hooves in the village. Difficulties of fixation. Trimming hooves in the village. fixation difficulties.

How does professional hoof trimming work for cows? Yury Koshutin works.

Conclusion

Hoof trimming is a must. Without the timely formation of a tread, a cow can get a leg injury. The procedure is carried out regularly, without the participation of a veterinarian.

In bulls and cows, the hooves (horny wall) become thicker with each new month and lengthen by about 8 millimeters. If the animal spends almost all of its life in the pasture, the fabric begins to wear out, and no deformation of the hooves occurs from this.

In winter, during a period of low mobility, a cornea that has not been worn off can cause deformation of the hoof. This effect is very difficult to correct. Over time, if no action is taken, the hoof will crack and bend. This can lead to leg injury. In some cases, processes of suppuration and inflammation are possible.

In order not to experience pain, the cow will move incorrectly, which leads to an incorrect distribution of the body weight of the cow on the joints. The general health and condition of the cow worsens, she begins to eat poorly and tries to lie down as much as possible. As a result, the amount of milk decreases by about 1/4, but sometimes the milk disappears altogether. Therefore, it is worth at least 2 times a year to clean and trim the hooves.

Hoof trimming rules

It will take two or three people to trim. The animal must be tied with a shortened rope to the feeder. Someone should hold the cow's leg, bending it at the joint, and another person should trim and clean the hooves. If during this procedure a person detects damage to the skin or tissues, then it is necessary to treat them with iodine.

With the hind legs of the cow, everything is much worse. For pruning, a cow should be knocked down, which requires three people. This should be done with care, as it is difficult to knock down a cow, and sometimes it can injure her.

Tools and Process

The main tools are a hoof knife, a sharp knife and scissors. If trimming of hooves will not occur for the first time, you can use a cutter. The first thing to do is to compare the size of the hooves on the paws. It's simple - just measure the distance from the toe to the rims.

Trimming should start from the highest hoof. To begin with, a plane should be drawn on this hoof (a cutter is used), and the plane should go perpendicular to the axis. Correctly performed actions will be confirmed by a white line on the hoof. Also in the process, you can get rid of all the flaws in the sole. As a result, the thickness of the sole will be equal to 3-5 millimeters. Next, you need to move to the second, third and fourth hooves and cut them according to the same algorithms.

In order to get rid of unnecessary cornea, it is enough to use a hoof knife. During this process, it is necessary to form a hole (that is, a slope between the hooves). You can check the work using a special form.

Goat hoof trimming is simple and easy to learn, but it is much more difficult to get used to doing this procedure in a timely manner.

Many goat foot problems are due either to a lack of hoof trimming or improper trimming practices. How often you need to carry out this procedure depends on many factors - on the type of terrain, the age of the goat, the level of its activity, nutrition and even reproduction. Goats kept relatively closed and in small areas may also need more frequent hoof trimming than goats grazing on large pastures. As a rule, hoof trimming is carried out as needed. This will become apparent when you understand how to inspect the hoof. A properly trimmed hoof should look like a newborn kid's hoof.

Hoof trimming tools: gloves, a set of scissors and a hoof knife - both scissors and knife must be well sharpened. You will also need: a rasp, iodine, turpentine, copper sulfate and formalin.

It is always easier to cut the hooves when the goats walked on wet grass or snow: moisture gets into the hoof walls and softens them. There are, however, veterinary preparations that can be used to harden or soften the hoof if you feel it is necessary.

There are several ways to fix or hold a goat for hoof care. The best method is the one that works for your specific situation. One way is to take the goat to the milking parlor. However, most owners who keep goats for the sake of wool and meat do not have milking machines, and goats, if they are not used to it, will not stand quietly in the machine. Therefore, it will be more practical to simply tie the goat to a post or fence - or have someone hold the animal while you trim the hooves. Hold the goat's legs in the same way as a blacksmith shoeing a horse.

There is another way - to clamp a goat between your legs in the same way as a sheep for a shearing, planting it in an upright position. This is a plus if you work alone, without the help of a milking machine - this way it is easier to keep a goat than if it is tied somewhere, but does not stand still. This method works best with down and wool goats, as they are sheared in this position; but both dairy and beef goats in this position will not be able to strongly resist.

The first step in trimming is to clean the hoof well of dirt, stones, rot and manure. Firstly, it is easier to inspect and more pleasant to work with, and secondly, a clean hoof will not dull the knife as quickly as a dirty one. The next step is to remove any rims or overgrown hoof walls ("nails"). Sometimes they outgrow so much that they can strongly bend inward, even form a tube. In this case, you must first scrape out the dirt from there, and then cut off the nail, opening the resulting tube on both fingers.

Grooming a heavily overgrown hoof edge

Trim the edges of the hoof and foot with scissors, and the heel and sole are best trimmed with a hoof knife. When using a hoof knife, always point the blade away from the goat and away from you. The sole should be cut into thin slices up to the heel until the sole and nails form a flat surface on which the goat should stand at a proper angle of about 45o. Finish trimming as soon as a pinkish color appears on the sole. It is unnecessary to continue, if you cut further, the leg will begin to bleed. In this case, use disinfectants such as iodine. Treating with turpentine immediately after trimming will help harden the sole. In most cases, the bleeding will stop on its own, under the pressure of the animal's own weight.

If a goat's legs have been neglected for a long time, it's generally not worth trying to bring them back to normal with a single pruning session. In most cases, it will be better to trim the hooves little by little in several steps, gradually returning them to the appropriate shape, size and angle. Follow the general rule of goat leg position: the hairline of the hoof should be almost parallel to the ground. The more often pruning is done, the less time and effort it will take and the better the goats will behave each time. In addition, the chances of contracting foot rot and other infections are greatly reduced if you work on animal feet regularly and frequently.

One of the most common problems is the development of foot rot. This disease is caused by a mixed infection of two bacteria, Fusobacterium necrophorum And Bacteroides nodosus that actively develop on dirty hooves. Moist soils and dirt increase the likelihood of disease. Foot injuries accelerate the spread and development of foot rot, although generally not as fast if the soil temperature is less than 4.5°C. Usually this disease begins as a minor inflammation between the toes, then moves under the hoof horns. The progression of the disease causes the hoof horn to detach from the skin, causing varying degrees of pain and lameness.

Hoof infected with foot rot

Footrot bacteria need an anaerobic (no oxygen) environment to survive. Therefore, to correct this problem, the hoof should be trimmed down to the point of break, so that the wound is exposed to air. Along the way, this will save the hoof from a potential "pocket" where dirt and manure can contribute to the formation of an anaerobic environment. After trimming, the foot is treated with an antibiotic spray or soaked in a 10% solution of formalin, copper sulfate, or zinc sulfate. Thereafter, the goat must be kept away from an unclean yard or dirty field for at least two weeks to avoid re-infection. Foot baths in saturated copper sulfate solution or zinc sulfate solution will help keep the feet healthy during this period, provided that these baths are not contaminated by manure, rain and sewage.

Protecting treated hooves from dirt

An additional benefit of keeping the hooves in good condition is that some leg and foot problems can be corrected with trimming over time. If the hind legs are set wide apart or too straight, leaving the toes slightly longer can help to give the leg more angulation. Conversely, sickle stance can be corrected by trimming the edge of the hoof at an angle greater than 45o. If the foot is toe-out, trim the inner hoof horn on each foot more than the outer horn. If your toes are too wide apart, trim the inside edge more than the outside. This method corrects the hoof well, provided it is trimmed regularly and frequently.

Thus, conscientious efforts and a good hoof care program will help goats look their best, be healthier and more productive.

Study the structure of the hoof. Before you start trimming the hooves, you need to examine the different parts of the hoof. Knowing the structure of the hooves will allow you to understand what areas to trim, how they should look, and how best to trim them.

• The outer wall surrounds the hoof and defines the line of its outer contour from the side of the sole.
• The sole of the hoof is the entire surface of the hoof within its outer wall.
• The white line defines the inside of the hoof wall.
• The frog is a large element of the hoof that starts at the heel and turns into a sharp frog that points to the center of the hoof.

Find out how badly the hoof needs to be trimmed. After the horse's hoof has been soaked and cleaned of dirt, it is necessary to assess its condition in order to find out which areas need to be trimmed and how best to do it. Any hoof will always have its own characteristics every time you do the next trim. Therefore, carefully consider the appearance of the hoof in order to choose a further course of action.

• Pay attention to cracked areas that need to be cut.
• Estimate the length of the hoof wall.
• Find out if the front wall needs to be shortened.
• See if the outer wall has any asymmetry.

Get in the right position to work. Correct posture when trimming a horse's hooves will provide you and the animal with greater comfort during this procedure. If you hold the hoof correctly, it will be easier to control and easier to give the most even and correct shape. Be sure to take the correct position in order to trim the horse's hooves.

• The front leg of the horse should be lifted and pulled back towards his chest. Rest it on your thigh.
• The rear leg must be lifted straight up and positioned directly in front of it. Lean forward to reach and work on the hoof.
• When lifting the horse's leg up, always make sure that it flexes naturally at the joints.
• Do not try to raise the horse's hoof if the animal is resisting.

Trim the hoof. Hoof trimming requires hoof mites. They are a large analogue of nail clippers designed for horse hooves. Pincers shorten the excessive length of the hoof wall. They work well to quickly remove the overgrown parts of the hoof and roughly give the hoof the correct shape before final processing of the remaining areas.

• Use pliers to remove any heavily regrown areas of the outer wall of the hoof.
• To cut off excess horny layer of the hoof wall, bring together the handles of the pliers.
• Work slowly to shorten the hoof just the right amount.
• Cut the wall of the hoof at a 45 degree angle to the front of the hoof (the toe) so that the hoof doesn't end up too sharp.

Clean the hoof with a rasp. In the process of trimming, the horse's hoof can turn out to be uneven and rough in some places. A hoof rasp is a special file used to correct irregularities in a horse's hoof. If you run it over the hoof, then part of the stratum corneum will be removed. Use a rasp to clean up uneven areas and areas where the use of pliers would be unnecessary due to their large size.

• Do not rasp both sides of the frog at once, as this can cause the hoof to become uneven.
• Work in short strokes at first until you have better control of the rasp and gain more practice.
• Keep the rasp as level as possible with the sole of the hooves to keep the hooves flat.