Como Solucionar las Cojeras en el Ganado (Anatomía de la Pezuña) - TvAgro por Juan Gonzalo Angel

Twitter @juangangel Until very recently, hoof disease in cattle was considered a secondary concern, as few animals were affected. With the evolution of farms, intensive farming systems, and production and management conditions, hoof disease has become a problem of great economic impact for producers, as it is, after mastitis and infertility, the third cause of losses in stables. Hence the importance of prevention and ensuring that farmers know what they are facing so they can take appropriate measures as quickly as possible. 1- The Impact on Production Caused by Hoof Problems These impacts affect both production and the animal's condition. a) Decreased production (quantity and quality) b) Loss of body condition c) Infertility (fertility, conception, slaughter) d) Shortened lifespan e) Emergency slaughter f) Increased involuntary replacement rates g) Decreased speed of genetic improvement h) Mastitis, metritis. Lameness has a significant impact on the productive parameters of dairy cows. On the one hand, it causes changes in the locomotion of affected animals and, on the other, it is associated with stress factors. One of the first symptoms a farmer detects is a decrease in milk production in a lame animal, a decrease that is often seen before the lameness itself appears. Hoof conditions, for the most part, excluding accidents, are directly related to the lactation phase, as they occur two to three months after calving, when milk production peaks, which has a greater impact on production. The more severe the lameness, the greater the losses. A cow that is lame in the third month of gestation for more than 15 days will result in a loss of 20% of the animal's lactation. In general, it is considered that losses in milk production due to hoof conditions range from 5% to 20%, which, translated into liters of milk, amounts to 300 to 1,200 liters of milk for a cow, depending on the type of cow. On beef farms, the incidence of lameness is much lower, due, among other things, to different management and systems. However, in stables, the estimated figures range from 25% in calves to 40% in adult animals (stall/free-stall systems). Added to this lack of weight gain are the traumas caused by the almost permanent recumbency of affected animals (ulcers, erosions in body support areas). Lame cows reduce feed intake, resulting in a loss of body condition, and lameness negatively impacts the farm's reproductive performance. Any lameness that occurs in the first 35 days postpartum lengthens the number of days open; if the lameness is severe, it extends conception by 30 days. Properly treated lameness without complications, such as mild digital or interdigital dermatitis, has a low impact. In the case of palmar ulcers and white line abscesses, there is a significant relationship between lameness and infertility, with a considerable increase in days open. Lameness also primarily affects cows that stand out as top producers. To further improve the herd, the farmer uses these cows to breed them with the best bulls to improve genetics. If cows suffer from lameness, their reproductive indices will be worse, and in turn, their life expectancy. Their lifespan will be shorter, and the intervals between calvings will be longer, resulting in fewer calvings, slowing the rate of genetic improvement in the herd. http://www.engormix.com/MA-ganaderia-... Juan Gonzalo Angel www.tvagro.tv