Tyler Dockendorf plays a vital role in his family’s 130-cow robotic milking operation. Find out the five things he can’t do without when it comes to hoof health in the herd.
Mobile barn cleaner
The Lely Discovery mobile barn cleaner is a robotic barn scraper that runs every hour on the hour, day and night.
It keeps the slats clean at all times, therefore keeping the feet and legs clean. We have found it to be helpful in the control and prevention of hairy warts.
Professional hoof trimming
We have a professional hoof trimmer here once a month to trim all of our dry cows as well as any other animal requiring attention.
We are very fortunate to have found a great hoof trimmer, Matt Van Lith, who offers advice and aids in maintaining each cow’s hooves.
Footbath
We run a footbath with copper sulfate each Monday to help maintain healthy, hard and comfortable feet.
It is easier, cheaper and healthier to maintain good hoof health than it is to fix a hoof problem.
Excede
We use Excede whenever a cow has an abscess. This helps the cow’s hoof to heal faster and keeps the hoof from becoming very sore.
Bedded pen
We have a special needs pen in the barn, bedded with corn stalk bale, which we use to house cows that may have any number of ailments, including hoof issues. This aids in a faster hoof recovery. PD
PHOTOS
Photos courtesy of University of Minnesota – Twin Cities student Stephanie Kasper.
