Contract Milking causes lame cows
Our contract milking system is contributing to the number of lame cows in NZ. This may seem like a strange thing to say but from a lameness perspective, the contract milking system has one major issue that could be easily
International Lameness in Ruminants Conference 2019
Last month I attended the International Lameness in Ruminants Conference in Tokyo, Japan. This is a conference where the latest research in lameness is presented from all over the world. You wouldn’t necessarily think of Japan as a dairy country,
Heat Stress and Lameness
Tempertures have been very high over the summer months and people are enjoying their summer holidays with long days at the beach, water skiing and swimming. At home we turn on the air conditioning or have a fan blowing through
Getting to root cause of lameness
I have come across the comment a few times that people are confused about the advice they are getting regarding lameness. There are contradicting messages going around from professionals about the causes of lameness, especially when it comes to tracks.
OAD or TAD? … that’s the question
OAD or TAD? That’s the question. When you hear a farmer talk about OAD (Once-A-Day) milking it is often noted that cows are so much happier. Milk production does not seem to drop that much, and they have a lot
Do stones really cause a problem for cows?
We recently held another Hoof Care Expo and the theme was “Are stones really an issue for your cows?” It amazes me how convinced people are that stones can penetrate hooves and that bruises in the hoof are caused by
Be diligent around mating time
Around mating time lameness seems to increase. Most people believe that the reason for this is the extra pressure that is on the hooves when a cow is being bulled by another cow. This goes alongside the theory that hooves
Benefits and options of claw blocks
Do you understand the benefits of claw blocks? It is quite interesting what sort of responses farmers give to this question. Some think they are wonderful, some think they are too expensive, some struggle to make them stick on for
Tired cows don’t perform
We are now starting the dry period. Another season has gone by and it is time to refresh and take life a little easier. Some of you may even go away on a holiday. Cows are gone for the winter
What is Preventative Hoof Trimming?
What is preventative hoof trimming? I have been on farms where they had done their own preventative hoof trimming during the year. When I started doing my trimming I had to explain what I was doing and it turned out