How Dairy Cattle Facilities May Contribute to Lameness
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This document discusses how dairy cattle facilities can contribute to lameness in cattle. It identifies hard, rough, slippery floor surfaces as direct causes of lameness as they increase pressure on cows' feet and hooves. Indirect factors include inadequate stall design that prevents comfortable resting, overcrowding, limited feed access, and heat stress. The document provides recommendations for facilities to help prevent lameness such as using grooved concrete flooring, keeping surfaces clean and dry, providing adequate and comfortable resting and feeding areas, and managing heat stress.
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How Dairy Cattle Facilities May Contribute to Lameness
- 1. HOW DAIRY CATTLE FACILITIES MAY CONTRIBUTE TO LAMENESS Dan F. McFarland, M.S., Agricultural Engineering Educator
- 2. “Cows are land animals. They prefer soft surfaces for walking and lying down.” -Shearer, 2007
- 4. “Hard flooring surfaces are less comfortable for cows and contribute to claw horn overgrowth and weight bearing disturbances that predispose to lameness.” -Shearer, 2007
- 5. Common Causes of Dairy Cattle Lameness Laminitis Sole ulcers White line disease Heel erosion (‘slurry heel’) Digital dermatitis Hock injuries Hip dislocation Arthritis
- 7. “Direct” Facility Factors That Cause and/or Contribute to Lameness
- 8. Weight Distribution of a Dairy Cow • Front feet – 55 – 60% total weight • Rear feet – 40 – 45% total weight Source: Phillips
- 9. Force Exerted on Foot Bearing Area 1,400 lb Dairy Cow Weight Distribution 8 in2/foot Standing Walking Front (60%) 52.5 lb/in2 105 lb/in2 Rear (40%) 35 lb/in2 70 lb/in2 Weight Distribution 185 lb Male Human 20 in2/foot Standing Walking 4.6 psi 9.3 psi
- 10. Hard, Unyielding Floor Surfaces • Create pressure points on weight bearing surfaces – Corium inflammation – Sole ulcers, white line disease
- 11. Rough, Abrasive Floor Surfaces • Can wear claw horn faster than growth New Concrete
- 12. Rough, Abrasive Floor Surfaces • Claw horn wears faster than claw horn growth rate Traffic Lanes
- 13. Smooth, Slippery Floor Surfaces • Offers little traction – Slipping – Splitting – Falls Photo: R.E. Graves
- 14. Inorganic Bedding Materials • Can increase rate of claw horn wear • Can polish concrete surfaces smooth
- 16. Uneven Floor Surfaces • Contact points of lateral &medial claws at different elevations – Chance of injury to inter-digital space
- 17. Uneven Floor Surfaces • Holes & irregular surfaces are unacceptable in cattle areas
- 18. Debris on Floor Surfaces • May cause puncture of sole & lead to abscess formation Sharp Stones Construction Debris
- 19. Suitable Floor Surface for Cattle
- 20. Suitable Floor Surface for Cattle • Concrete is a popular choice – Requires experienced installer with ‘cow sense’
- 21. Suitable Floor Surface for Cattle • Desirable characteristics: (Gooch 2003) – Grooved floor pattern – Proper groove width, depth, edge & spacing – Flat, smooth surface between grooves
- 22. Suitable Floor Surface for Cattle • Groove patterns – Parallel • 0.375 to 0.50” wide & deep • 3 to 4” on center • In direction of alley length – Diamond • 0.375 to 0.50” wide & deep • 3 to 5” on center
- 23. Suitable Floor Surface for Cattle • Resilient flooring materials – Offers relief from concrete surfaces – More resilient materials • offer better comfort & traction – More durable materials • Hold up better to vehicle traffic • Often become slippery when wet
- 24. Wet, Manure Covered Cow Alleys • Increased slipping • Moisture softens claw • Increases chance of infection
- 25. Keep Floor Surfaces Clean & Dry • Tractor Scraping • Automatic Scrapers • Flush • Slotted Flooring
- 26. Cows in Tie stalls • Long toes in front feet • Wet, manure laden spots at rear of resting area
- 27. Soft, Resilient Floor Surfaces • Uneven horn growth – Long toes – Sole ulcers
- 30. Rushed Handling of Cattle • Increased incidence of slipping & falls • Increased hoof wear
- 31. “Indirect” Facility Factors That Cause and/or Contribute to Lameness
- 32. Cows Rest 10 to 14 Hours per Day Cows Stand 10 to 14 Hours per Day
- 33. Excessive Standing = Abnormal Behavior
- 34. Inadequate Stall Design & Management • Indicators of stall use reluctance or refusal – Perching – Standing in stall – Resting in cow alleys “The greatest effect of poor stall design may be on lame cows within any given herd.”- Marin et al. (2007)
- 35. Inadequate Stall Design & Management • Improper stall size • Improper freestall structure • Improper tie stall structure • Uncomfortable resting surface • Poor stall management
- 36. Provide a Clean, Dry, Comfortable Resting Area
- 37. Provide a Comfortable Resting Area • Stall size & structure that allows cows to: – enter & recline easily – rest comfortably – rise & exit easily
- 38. Provide a Comfortable Resting Area • Comfortable resting surface Cows seem to prefer 4” to 8” of bedding
- 39. Provide a Comfortable Resting Area • Comfortable resting surface Mattress & Mat stall beds replace a % of bedding depth
- 40. Provide a Comfortable Resting Area • Good stall grooming & bedding management
- 41. Overcrowding • Reduces resting space availability • Reduces available feeding space
- 42. Cows Stand Too Long in Holding Area • Idle standing • Lame, less mobile cows typically hang to the rear 3 hours/day - maximum
- 43. Feeding Area Design & Management • Limited feeding area • Limited feed access time • Restricted feeding vs. 5 to 10% refusal • Inconsistent feeding schedule • Infrequent TMR push-back • Sorting • Component feeding • Bunk competition Sources: Shaver, 2002 & Hovingh, 2010
- 44. Improve Access to Feed • Provide adequate space & convenient access
- 45. Improve Access to Feed • Provide adequate time – More than 20 hours per day Feed to cows Cows to feed
- 46. Improve Access to Feed • Keep feed in reach – Timely delivery – Timely ‘push-back’
- 47. Heat Stress • Standing allows better heat transfer • Increased panting leads to reduced rumination
- 48. Heat Stress • Increased incidence of lameness late summer, early fall – May reflect time needed for sole lesion to develop (Cook, 2007)
- 49. “SAAWW” to Reduce Heat Stress • Shade • Air – Air exchange – Air movement • Water – Drinking – Cooling
- 50. • Provide cows a confident non-skid footing • Regularly remove slurry from floor surfaces • Provide a clean, dry, comfortable resting area • Feed access & management to promote good rumen function • Manage heat stress • Adopt good heifer rearing practices to reduce lameness Adapted from Kossaibati et al., 1997; Hovingh, 2010 Plan to Reduce Lameness in Dairy Cattle
Notes de l'éditeur
- Thanks Bob. Let’s take a look at how dairy cattle facilities might contribute to dairy cattle lameness.
- Jan Shearer, an Iowa State University veterinarian, notes “Cows are land animals. They prefer soft surfaces for walking and lying down.”
- Properly design dairy shelter systems offer many advantages to the cows and their caregivers. Cows are protected from weather extremes and have convenient access to resting, feeding, and watering areas. Managers and caregivers also have the opportunity to closely monitor and respond to the health needs, performance, and well-being of cows under their care.
- Confinement housing typically requires cows to stand and walk on hard, unyielding surfaces that can promote claw horn overgrowth and weight bearing issues that lead to lameness.
- Some estimates indicate that the indirect effects of lameness on milk production and reproduction account for 49 percent of cows culled from United States dairy herds (Shearer, 2007). While hard floor surfaces may be major cause, other housing system elements, and the management of them can also cause or contribute to lameness.
- Lameness in dairy cattle is serious issue. Possible causes need to be identified and corrected because – as the cartoon notes – “This model is hard to get parts for.”
- First let’s some “direct” factors – those things that come directly in contact with the cows feet – that cause or contribute to lameness.
- A dairy cows weight is not evenly distributed on all four feet. Approximately 55 to 60 percent of her total weight is supported by the front legs & the remainder by the rear legs.
- Assuming a 1400 pound cow with a bearing area of approximately 8 square inches per foot. The force exerted on her front feet and rear feet when standing is approximately 52.5 and 35 pounds per square inch, respectively. That force is doubled when supported by only two legs while walking. That is almost 7.5 to 11.5 times the force exerted on a 185 pound person with a foot bearing area of 20 square inches.
- This weight bearing pressure along with inflammation of the corium causes poor horn growth that may lead to sole ulcers and white line disease.
- Each foot slips slightly as cows move along concrete alleys and lots. Rough floor surfaces wear claw horn faster than it can grow. Even well done new concrete alley surfaces are abrasive initially. Poor installations where aggregate may be exposed are even worse.
- Of special concern are areas where cows make sharp turns, traffic lanes longer than 200 feet, and downhill concrete inclines greater than 2%.
- Smooth flooring surfaces offer cattle little traction that can cause slipping, splitting, and falls - especially when wet or covered with manure slurry - resulting in bruising and bone injury.
- Inorganic bedding materials, such as sand, can provide additional traction, but can also be abrasive and increase hoof wear - especially in areas where cows turn and travel lanes. Sand can also wear & polish concrete floors with regular alley scraping or flushing.
- This is a close up shot of a traffic lane in a dairy system using sand bedding. This alley sees 400 cows three times a day as they move to and from the milking center. After about 6 years the owner noticed some wear. Most of the aggregate had worn with the mixture, but some harder pieces – perhaps quartz - had not, standing about an eighth of an inch higher than floor level, creating a situation that may have caused some sole injury.
- An uneven floor surface like the one shown here with wide, deep grooves, and narrow treads can place the claws of each foot on different elevations, increasing the chance of injury to the space between.
- Holes and irregular surfaces are unacceptable in cattle areas, especially in areas where cows are moved in groups.
- Sharp stones and rocks are a problem in any area where cows might be, but those that might be dragged inside - onto a concrete floor - can cause sole punctures and lead to abscesses. Also, make sure all construction debris – especially nails and screws are removed from the cattle area before being occupied by cows.
- Concrete is hard & unyielding, but it is the most common flooring material used in dairy housing. It is durable and allows easier removal of manure slurry. So how can it be made a suitable floor surface for cattle?
- First, it requires an experienced installer with ‘cow sense’ and ability to create a surface that provide acceptable traction without any exposed aggregate or sharp edges. A builder once told me that concrete varies by the load, the day, and time of day. It takes someone that can recognize these variables and pace their work to get the job done correctly.
- Desirable flooring characteristics include a grooved floor pattern, with grooves of proper size and spacing, and a smooth – not slippery - flat surface between grooves.
- The goal of a groove pattern is to allow each foot to step on at least one groove when moving or standing. Parallel and diamond patterns seem to be the most popular. Parallel grooves run in the same direction as the alley length. Grooves are typically 3/8 to ½ inches wide and deep, and spaced 3 to 4 inches on center. A diamond pattern is preferred since it provides better traction in more directions. The same size groove is used, but grooves parallel to each other are spaced 3 to 5 inches on center.
- Resilient – or rubber – flooring is also popular in dairy housing. It can offer some relief from the pressure concrete flooring can exerts. The more resilient choices offer better comfort and traction, but may not stand up to vehicle traffic. More durable choices hold up well to vehicle traffic, but can become slippery when wet.
- Wet, manure covered cow alleys can contribute to lameness in a number of ways. First, wet concrete can be up to 80% more abrasive than dry concrete, because the cows’ foot is more likely to slip with each step. Moisture also softens the claw, leading to increased wear. In addition, wet, manure covered cow alleys may increase the chance of infection through punctures or cracks in the sole or hoof wall.
- Alleys should cleaned regularly to not only improve traction, but to help keep the stalls and cow cleaner.
- Dairy cows confined to tie stalls for long periods of time often experience extended growth at the front of the foot or “long toes”. Diligent management of tie stalls is necessary, especially if the rear of stall becomes wet and manure laden.
- “Soft”, resilient floor surfaces can also lead to uneven claw horn growth and contribute to lameness. Long toes have also been observed in freestall systems where the most of the floor surfaces were covered with resilient material. Left untreated weight bearing shifts to the rear portion of the feet and may create sole ulcers.
- It should also be pointed out that wet, manure covered areas also need to be avoided in young stock areas as well. Feet and leg problems don’t only affect mature cows.
- The animal alleys and resting areas in young stock facilities need to be kept clean and dry to promote good feet and leg health.
- It goes without saying, but rushed handling of cattle can cause increased hoof wear and often results in injury due to slips and falls.
- Next, let’s consider some ‘indirect’ factors that may cause or contribute to lameness.
- Productive dairy cattle prefer to rest -- lying down-- 10 to 14 hours per day. This suggests that cows may also stand 10 to 14 hours per day.
- Excessive standing is abnormal behavior.
- Common evidence of freestall design and management problems include perching, excessive standing in the stall, and resting in cow alleys. Similar behavior can be observed in tie stalls, but may require more careful observation since cows are tethered making it more difficult for them to “refuse” the stall. The greatest effect of poor stall design may be on lame cows within any given herd (Marin et al., 2007).
- Stall design and management factors that lead to excessive standing include: Stall dimensions not allow cows to easily recline, rest, and rise easily. A stall structure that restricts normal postures need to enter, rest, and exit the stall easily. An uncomfortable resting surface that does not encourage cows to enter. And poor stall management including infrequent bedding and stall grooming.
- Dairy cows prefer a clean, dry comfortable resting area
- Whether freestall or tie stall, the stall size and structure should allow the cows to recline and rise easily. Cows do not crawl into stalls they lie down on them. If the dimensions and structure are correct, the largest cow in the group should be able to stand in the stall with her backbone level, front and rear feet square under her, and perhaps lightly touching the neck rail.
- Given a choice cows like generously bedded stalls with at least 4” of good quality inorganic or organic bedding.
- Mattress and mat stall beds can also be a good choice. However, they only replace some percentage of the cushion and comfort cows prefer. A layer of bedding is also necessary.
- Good stall management is essential. Stalls should be groomed to remove manure and soiled areas 2 to 3 times per day. Bedding needs to be added according to cow needs, not the calendar.
- Overcrowding freestall groups typically means cows stand in alleys for longer periods than desired. First come, first served stall availability leaves some cows standing that prefer to rest. Overcrowding also reduces available feed space per cow, limiting access to the feed and the possibility of “slug feeding”.
- Cows also often stand too long in the holding area. Idle standing in the holding area for extended periods can stress cows. Furthermore, lame cows are less mobile and tend to hang near the rear of the group, and experience longer standing times before returning to the housing area. Group sizes should match parlor performance so that cow groups spend no longer than three hours per day in the milking center.
- Feeding area management practices where cows eat fewer and larger meals more quickly may be associated with increased incidence of sub-acute ruminal acidosis and laminitis. Factors that can cause “slug feeding” of the total mixed ration (TMR) include (Shaver, 2002): Limited feeding area. Limited feed access time. (B) Restricted feeding versus feeding for 5% to 10% refusal. Inconsistent feeding schedule. (B) Infrequent TMR push up. Sorting (B)Component feeding Bunk competition.
- To allow the entire group to eat at the same time provide at least 27 inches of feed space per cow. With total mixed ration and good feeding area and time management 18 inches of feed space per cow can also work.
- But feed needs to be available to cows, and cows need to be available to feed for more than 20 hours per day.
- Timely feed delivery and feed push up are also necessary. Cows can push feed out of reach within 30 minutes after delivery.
- Heat stressed cows also tend to stand more. Probably because they can expose more of their total body area, allowing better heat transfer to the environment. Panting also helps heat transfer, but if she is panting she is not ruminating that may create some undesirable conditions in the rumen.
- In North America high rates of claw horn lesion development are seen in late summer (Cook, 2004). This could be due to an increase in sub-acute ruminal acidosis (SARA), increased standing times, or both. A two month delay between peak heat stress and peak lameness seems to reflect the time needed for a sole lesion to develop once an insult occurs in the corium. .
- To reduce heat stress remember – and put into the practice the heat stress abatement methods described in the acronym “SAAW”. Shade to provide protection from direct sunlight An air exchange to remove moisture, heat, and pollutants Air movement to improve the rate of heat transfer from the cow. Plenty of easily accessible drinking water, and Either direct or indirect evaporative cooling.
- In summary, a good facility plan to reduce lameness in dairy cattle is to: Provide a confident footing with a non-skid flooring. Regularly remove manure slurry from the cows alleys Provide a clean, dry comfortable resting area Allow good feed access and management to encourage good rumen function Manage heat stress during the hot weather and Provide good standing and resting surfaces for heifers to promote good feet and leg health.
- Dairy housing systems contain features that may directly or indirectly cause or contribute to lameness in dairy cows. Recognizing the facility, feeding, and management factors that contribute to lameness, and making adjustments to prevent, or at least minimize, their role can go a long way in improving herd health and success of the dairy business.