Kinder Hoof Consultation

Three farmers in coveralls and hats talk together ini a barn between two aisles of black and white cows.

South Solon, OH

Kinder Hoof Consultation

Kinder Consultations are opportunities to bring in species or topic specific experts to evaluate farm performance on a specific area related to animal welfare.

Two farmers in safety gear measure a cows hoof that it being held in place by a red metal apparatus.

The Goal:

Improve hoof health and caregiver competence

Funding provided: $3200 in kind Donation

Our project using AI to monitor hoof health served as a welcomed reminder as we kicked off Kinder ground that everything happens through people. Technology can help, but only if we have capable and compassionate support at every level.

This was a job for an expert in hoof health and hoof trimming. Kinder Ground invited Dr. Gerard Cramer to the project farm to help us identify areas that may be contributing to lameness and work chute side with their hoof trimmer to sharpen his skill set as well as his hoof knives.

The Outcomes:

Better Together

Kinder Ground’s network of like-minded and passionate champions is our superpower. Who else would turn a 3-day consultation into an official training program? We learned so much with Dr. Cramer we decided we want to take it on the road.

Two farmers walk together in a large barn down an aisle with cows on ether side.

Caregiver competence elevated

The caregiver responsible for trimming feet learned several tips and tricks to make his job easier and more impactful.

Every hoof should be checked using a hoof tester. When caught early, it may not be obvious which hoof is sore. The hoof tester is a reliable way to identify the hoof in need of more attention.
Every sore hoof deserves relief. Even if the lesion is not obvious, or the opposite foot already has a block, a block will be applied to the healthy hoof to relieve pain from the sore hoof and allow it to heal
The training ignited the caregivers determination to tackle lameness, in the month after the training, he started trimming cows every day, treating 50 cows. In the 3 months previous, they had treated 58.

Competition and Corkscrews

We are not talking about wine. Did you know that when we house cows on concrete and add other factors that make them compete for resources at the feed bunk, water trough or other areas, it leads to an irreversible change in the growth of their hoof wall?

We discovered that nearly 36% of the cows had developed corkscrew claws. Now the farm can look for ways to prevent it in the future and make sure these cows get regular trimming.

An ounce of prevention…

The consultation identified several issues contributing to lameness in the herd.

New practices include:

Identifying (and recording) all cows with corkscrew claws. These cows will be flagged for a specific trimming schedule to help minimize lameness.
Setting custom trim schedules and automatic rechecks for cows with abscesses or ulcers to ensure they are healing properly.
Youngstock are enrolled in hoof-wart prevention earlier and more often.

Lessons Learned & Next Steps

It’s the little things. From upcycling food waste, to managing alley scrapers and footbaths, we identified opportunities from the heifers to the hoof-trimming chute that have an impact on managing hoof health.

Everything happens through people. Trimming feet is hard work! We need to make the job easier on the trimmer and the cow wherever possible. Kinder Ground is providing additional support to install space heaters and fans in the trim area and rubber comfort flooring around the trim chute and in the cow holding area.

Kinder Hoof Care Trimmer School! We had so much fun with Dr, Cramer that we are developing a hoof trimmer school with him. Designed to train and develop hoof trimmers, we will partner with master hoof care specialists to train the trimmers of tomorrow. We have just begun building the program. Stay tuned for more!

What Our Partner In Compassion Is Saying

“In most dairies, the first step to improving hoof health is to improve the lameness knowledge and understanding of the people working with the cows.”

- Dr. Gerard Cramer