Epi. 221 – Making Cows Comfortable to Improve Lameness and Welfare

Have You Herd? AABP PodCasts

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by Dr. Nigel Cook from the University of Wisconsin. Cook is a past-president of AABP, current member of the AABP Lameness Committee, and a life-long advocate for improving welfare of cows specifically focusing on lameness and facility design for cow comfort.

Lameness is a significant welfare concern on dairy farms and Cook states that up to 22% of cows in the U.S. dairy herd walk with a noticeable limp. It is also often under-reported on dairy farms with producers underestimating the prevalence of lameness on their farms and missing cows that are mildly lame. This is important because lameness changes the structure of the hoof and can increase the risk of further lameness incidents in the future.

Lying time is a major factor in preventing lameness, improving cow comfort and returning lame cows to soundness. Cook notes that lying time is impacted by stall surface, providing the opportunity to rest by keeping the time out of pen less than 3.5 hours, minimizing overstocking and mitigating heat stress. Cook provides some tips for maximizing the stall surface comfort, with deep bedding that stays in the stall critical to stall comfort. He also discusses stall dimensions, but mentions that stall surface remains the most critical factor in comfort of the bed. Cook notes that deep bedded sand results in a 40% reduction in lameness.

Veterinarians should be involved in lameness prevention and improving cow comfort on their client’s farms. Performing a lameness audit and reviewing hoof trim records can provide insights into the impact lameness is having on the herd. Monitoring cow behavior and lying time by utilizing time lapse cameras can provide meaningful information for the veterinarian and producer. Cook mentions the resources available on the Dairyland Initiative website which includes housing modules for all classes of cattle and lameness modules. He also mentions that they perform consults for producers and veterinarians as well as publish a podcast for veterinarians to learn about these resources during their windshield time.

If you are an AABP member interested in lameness in beef or dairy cattle, consider volunteering to serve on the AABP Lameness Committee. You can find resources from the committee on this page. Go to the committee landing page for more information or to email the committee to join.

Links:
The Dairyland Initiative
Dairyland Initiative Podcast and other resources can be found here.