Looking after your cow herd is not always easy, especially in unpredictable weather, and having the right equipment will help to take the stress out of the process. Here, we’ll explore the art of hoof care maintenance and take a look at the equipment you need, and we’ll share our top tips, giving you the benefit of our expertise.
Lame cows can be a major problem for farmers and learning how to protect your animals against the causes of lameness and treat any problems early on will transform the way you farm and increase your positive outcomes. In Ireland, cows tend to enjoy better hoof health as they are largely outdoors and able to walk naturally so our focus is on preventing lameness through managing their environment and taking care of any potential issues that arise.
Equipment you’ll need for hoof trimming
The right equipment will make all the difference to your hoof care practices and we recommend finding your favourite options for each of the following categories:
- Glues and Shoes. Finding the best glues and shoes for your herd will help with the healing process and ensure the comfort of your lame cows. With options including orthopaedic shoes such as Cowslips, wooden blocks, and TP blocks, you can cater for individual variations and target treatment for specific animals. You’ll need a good adhesive such as Inspect4 Hoof Block Adhesive to ensure consistent treatment.
- Bandages and Treatments. Problems can arise with the hooves of even the best kept cattle and bandages and treatments you can rely on will help to treat issues in the early stages and prevent more serious conditions. We recommend that you regularly use footbath solutions to combat infections that can stem from wet, muddy conditions which are very common in the autumn and winter months. Targeted treatments such as DD Delete Hoof Care Gels can be extremely effective against conditions such as mortellaro and sole ulcers, and you should have self-adhesive hoof bandages in your stores at all times.
- Knives and sharpening equipment. The knives and sharpening equipment you use for trimming hooves will make a huge difference to how easy the job is for you and how comfortable it is for your animals. Keeping your knives sharp will ensure that they are effective, and you won’t need to use excessive pressure to achieve good results. We recommend blades from excellent suppliers such as Kerbl and Metabo, as well as the superb range of DICK Hoof Trimming Knives. Every hoof trimmer will have their preferred options, and we have left-handed knives, clippers and paring knives to ensure that everyone can find exactly what they need in our range.
- Protective wear. Protective clothing offers more benefits for yourself than for your cattle, but it’ll save you a great deal of stress and keep you comfortable and dry while you work. Explore our range of protective clothing to find waterproof trousers, jackets and wrist protectors that will help to protect you while you carry out your maintenance tasks and ensure you feel well prepared, whatever the weather.
- Rollover crates. A Rollover Hoof Trimming Crate is the easiest way to manage hoof care for your cattle and makes hoof trimming manageable by a single operator. The Inspect4 Mobile Hoof Trimming Crate can make light work of hoof inspections and enable you to treat any potential problems before they become obvious and cause pain to your animals. Professional Hoof Trimmers and vets rollover crates because they are comfortable for cows and safe and efficient for the operator, so you can rely on great results every time.
The Inspect4 Fixed Hoof Trimming Crate can be used for all hoof maintenance and treatment, as well as castrating, dosing and teat sealing so it really is a multipurpose piece of equipment to help you care for your cattle. The right option for your animals will depend on your set up and your priorities for your livestock, so talk to us to find out more about the benefits of each system.
Make hoof maintenance easy with HoofCare Direct
A rollover hoof trimming crate will save you time and effort and ensure that hoof maintenance becomes an easy part of your life. Talk to us at HoofCare Direct to find out more about the Inspect4 Mobile Hoof Trimming Crate and the Inspect4 Fixed Hoof Trimming Crate and we’ll show you how these excellent pieces of equipment can change your approach to caring for your cattle forever. These crates are designed by farmers and are renowned for their excellence by farmers, hoof trimmers and veterinarians – our demonstrations will show you why!