Observing Cows
Observe Cows/Note Down Lame/Sick Cows - reminders on Horizon app.
- Pay attention while your raking stalls or scraping crossovers if you notice anything wrong or off about a cow
How to identify lame cows
- Reluctance to bear weight on one or more hooves
- Irregular stepping
o Lame cows may have an uneven rhythm as they spend less time using a painful limb
- Joint stiffness
o Limb and back movement of non-lame cows is smooth and fluid with good joint flexion and extension
- Poor tracking
o Rear hooves of non-lame cows generally follow in the tracks of the front hooves, rear hooves of lame cows may not, as cows will be short-strided
- Jerky head movement
o Non-lame cows have a steady head carriage and move their head up and down slightly and consistently. Lame cows may show jerky head motions as they use their head to reduce weight bearing on sore limbs or feet
- Arched back
o Non-lame cows tend to walk with a straight and flexible back. Lame cows may have a fixed upward arch to their back
How to identify sick cows
- Laboured breathing
- Deep coughing
- Eye and nasal discharge
- Bloody diarrhea
- Drooping head
- Drooping eats
- Excessively slow movement
- Sunken eyes
- Reluctance to get up when approached