A3O-Lancast*r Farming, Saturday, April 30, 1994 Cow Hoof Trimming Pointers Given At Demonstration MIRIAM WERT Juniata Co. Correspondent PORT ROYAL (Juniata Co.) A cow hoof trimming talk and demonstration was presented on the farm of Glen Henry earlier this month. Dr. Dale Moore of the Penn State Veterinary Science Department gave information as to why regular care of the hooves is necessary for the good health of the animals. The overview of her talk con cerned the anatomy of the cow’s foot, weight bearing, foot trim ming guidelines and diseases of the hoof. She also presented facts concerning lameness in dairy cattle which causes severe pain and discomfort, resulting in lower milk yields, reproductive ineffi ciency, etc. Studies have shown that over 90 percent of lamenesses are from foot problems, with most of those problems in the tear feet Dr. Moore pointed out further that the potential causes of lameness are manage ment, environment, nutritional imbalances, disease and genetic fac tors. She passed around to the group actual low er legs of dead cows to illustrate the various parts of the foot and its problems, and to com pare the back with the front foot. She stressed that the hoof is alive and there fore it has an anatomy as any living thing has. The hoof wall, sole and heel are made of keratin (like the cow’s hom) and water. This means that the structure does not provide a very thick covering for the tissues which contain nerves and blood vessels. The keratin in the hoof is replaced every year. The hoof grows at a rate of about two inches per year, depending on the environment, nutri tion and genetics of the cow. The rate of hoof growth is greater in the rear feet than the front, and the hoof grows fastest during Spring and Summer. It was noted that the outer lay er of the hoof is impor tant for retaining mois ture, and so it must not be sanded or rasped off during trimming as this could cause it to dry out and crack. The sole has the same composition as the hoof wall but is softer and only one-half inch thick. It must not be perforated or trimmed too much as this would expose the sensitive parts, leading to bleed ing, pain and lameness. She added that the sof test area is the white line between the hoof wall and the sole. This area accumulates dirt and stones and needs to be cleaned before trimming. Developing further the idea of weight distribution. Dr. Moore pointed out that a hoof responds to heavier weight-bearing by depo siting greater amounts of keratin. In young animals, the weight is rather evenly placed around the hooves, but in mature cows more weight is put on the outside walls of the rear feet. So this is where they have more overgrowth and need more trimming. Dr. Moore said further that the inner walls of the front feet bear more weight as the cow matures. The bulbs of the heels are not nor mally weight-bearing surfaces but, with exaggerated overgrowth of the hoof hom, the body weight shifts and the bulbs of the heel come into contact with the ground. Since the bulbs are more like skin and are loaded with nerves and blood vessels, they are more sensi tive. Some cows with excessively (Turn to Pago A3l) FORCE C ONT ROLS. In Developing FORCE soil insecticide, Zeneca Ag Products simulated and improved on the powerful chemistry found in chrysanthemum flowers. The result is the first pyrethroid insecticide designed for soil application. Because of this unique chemistry, FORCE ranks low in mammalian toxicity, which means very low hazard to humans. In addition, the low water solubility and soil mobility of FORCE greatly reduces any risk of leaching or ground water contamination. \/f W' W Sr rancsu! i # BANDERS AND CAELBRATION Available To Force Users Contact Your Zeneca Dealer Paul Near, Juniata County loot trimmer, gives demonstration on grinding neces sary portions to trim hooves. [MIMM H Hff HM i WM iftllM Apply FORCE at 8 to 10 oz. per 1,000 linear row feet. The lbs./acre equivalent rates are: 6.6 lbs. per acre on 40* row« 6.9 lbs. per acre on SS* rows 7.3 lbs. per acre on 36* rows FORCE may be applied in a T-band in front of the press wheels, in a band behind the press wheels, or in-furrow. CONTACT YOUR LOCAL ZENECA AG PRODUCTS DEALERS R other soil insecticide controls as much as FORCE* when It comes to performance against a wide variety of pests. Not only does FORCE control rootworms, it outperforms Lorsban 85% to 76% on cutworms according to 1902 Held trials Counter can't even touch cutworms FORCE also works significan(l> belter than Counter or Lorsban against wire-worms and white grubs FORCE works in all weather conditions and won't interact with the rescue herbicides Accent ainl beacon It's easy to see why FORCE is a generation ahead—for the generations ahead Cml/CNECAIft Feftct-iMinJunnk r ttf «n K UitcnipL ixiifum Atom I*a tr«li mask (411 ilnl\wu di Nmuursth t •> Riaoti is a tr ■ktiutk erf ( ihu (* rt> CotpnralßWi t iHiimr tsrfirainivttk ttf Amt tktti C ( umpmn LonlMt k » nakuwik