The key message which sounded through the Vet Conference NI recently was the fact that current control measures were not enough to decrease the levels of lameness on our farms as a whole. David Tisdall noted that lameness had risen from 25% to 36.8%, and argued that the main obstacles in controlling lameness included lack of time and labour, it can be a tedious job and one that is overwhelming.
Provita are currently working to make treatment and control of lameness much easier for farmers, offering a bespoke semi-automated system which can help make the task easier and safer. The system can be tailored to the farm’s specific requirements and each of the elements below can be customised to suit your farm. Provita also offer a HELP service, which includes free parlour scoring, farm specific protocols with the purchase of a certain amount of Hoofsure Endurance.
Adrian Daly, from Eglish in Co Tyrone runs a 90-cow dairy herd with plans to expand to 130 cows in the next year. He explains why he contacted Provita to help with lameness on his farm:
‘I called Provita back in the spring time, around the end of April. I recognised that we had a big problem and needed help to sort out the levels of lameness on the farm. We had used other products to tackle the problem however nothing seemed to work properly.’
‘Tommy called out to score the cows’ feet, as a part of the, no obligation Hoofsure HELP service. I decided to try the products and the plan for one-month. The results were brilliant.’
Tommy takes up the story here:
‘Within the first month, the results showed that lameness had halved. Since then lameness due to Digital Dermatitis has become non-existent.’
‘Like most farmers Adrian is very busy and time is a premium and he admitted footbathing was too time consuming at busy times of the year. Therefore we agreed to help upgrade the footbath system. In order to ensure that the footbathing process was as simple as possible, we added a control box which means that filling the footbath is as simple as pressing an on button. The dilution pump which was installed keeps the solution rate at the level selected. The footbath solution is then pumped through a pipe from the dairy to the footbath on order to keep the control box and pump away from and the cows. To ensure correct depth there is also top up button, this will allow Adrian to maintain the adequate depth of solution needed when using the footbath fill for a second, third or even fourth fill.’
‘Overall this way of footbathing is very convenient for me. I can be sure that the footbath is filled with the exact concentration and depth. I don’t need to worry about handling the product or that I might waste any. It has made the whole process very simple and I can see the great results from using a semi-automated system with Hoofsure Endurance,’ Adrian commented.
The bespoke system offered by Provita includes an option for a modified water powered pump which will apply the Hoofsure Endurance to the footbath through an in-line water supply. This means that you will not have to handle any chemicals making it safer to use. Hoofsure Endurance will always be used at the correct dilution, and the pump can be easy adjusted to release a percentage of the product between the dilution rates of 1% to 5%. Another option is an electronic control box which can pump a set amount of water to the footbath at the press of a button to ensure the correct depth. The final part of the system is the footbath itself which can be plastic or made to measure concrete or 3.5mm stainless-steel which can have the emptying bung or nut positioned differently as required.
Given that levels of lameness are rising as noted earlier, it is suffice to say that having a control plan in place is key to ensuring that farmers keep on top of lameness problems. In order to avail of the no obligation, first lameness check and protocol plan, contact 08003284982