A farmer asked me this week what was the best foot bath to use now that cows are back walking long distances or standing more on concrete if still indoors. Global lameness expert Neil Chesterson suggests a simple overground tank built wide enough so the cow steps into the solution is the ideal setup. His advice is if cows have to step down they are more nervous and will dung more.

The kiwi expert suggests when controlling dermatitis (Mortellaro) in dry cows that putting them through a daily foot- bath solution can reduce infection sixfold. This can be a solution of copper sulphate or a proven branded treatment. In milking cows, foot-bathing will help harden the hoof and make the hoof more suitable for walking on roadways.

Roger Blowey, another expert in lameness, suggests farmers need to think of lameness as “mastitis of the foot”. Regular hoof dipping is effective if done correctly to manage Mortellaro. On the matter of cost, lost milk yield is the big one while cull cow value is also reduced.

Foot bath design

Blowey is of the opinion similar to Chesterson that foot bath design should not impose a single-file procession, but be wide enough for unhurried passage by two or three cows abreast. This would minimise the stress on cows, thereby reducing faecal contamination of treatment solution. Foot bath length, he said, should require at least two steps in the fluid by each foot, at a volume allowance of one litre per cow that passes through and 10cm minimum depth.

Immediately investigate any cow not walking properly, then apply appropriate and prompt treatment.

12 steps to successful foot bath construction

Lameness expert Neil Chesterson has observed foot baths in operation in dairy herds all over the world. If constructing a foot bath for dairy cows, ensure you follow his 12 critical steps:

  • Keep entrance wide. Design the placement of the foot bath where cows don’t have to push to get in. If cows have to keep pushing, you are causing more damage during the bathing process.
  • Don’t foot bath if dunging – If cows are continuously dunging in the foot bath, it can actually spread footrot among the herd. Get it right or don’t foot bath at all. Find out what is causing the cows to be nervous and try and fix it.

    • Cows don’t like stepping down – it makes them nervous and if they are nervous there is more dunging so don’t have the foot bath built where cows have to step down into it.
    • In the same way, cows don’t like stepping up, so again if possible don’t construct where they have to step up.
    • The ideal scenario is where the foot bath is built at the same level as the existing levels either side of the foot bath. That means don’t build on a slope.
    • Plastic foot baths can be frightening to cows when walking through. The uneven surface and the noise makes cows uncomfortable.
    • Cheap construction. One of the cheapest methods of constructing a foot bath is to lay 20cm concrete blocks down on an existing concrete surface with a bung in the corner to allow for draining.
    • The advice is not to round off the corners of the blocks as cows do not like a rounded surface so leave the square edge even if plastering the block.
    • Keep main exit route the same. Ideally, don’t change the direction of the cow flow where the foot bath is located. If cows always exit straight keep the exit straight and install the foot bath in the centre of that exit race.
    • Don’t narrow down the exit to force cows through. Ideally, keep it wide enough for two cows to exit side by side. If large numbers are exiting the parlour together (eg parlour sizes with 20 unit herringbone upwards) cows exit quicker under less pressure.

      • Ideally, you want the cows to have two steps in the foot bath but building it too long is not the job either. More than 3m in lenght and cows start to lift the tail and dung again. Ideally, make it 1.5m wide and about 2m long.

        • Make sure the foot bath can carry enough volume. Small volume means the solution can get very dirty very quickly. If the depth of the block is 20cm then aim for an 8 to 10cm depth of solution in the foot bath. You need at least one litre per cow pass. If 150 cows are passing through you need at least 150 litres of solution in the foot bath.

          • Blowey on hoof care

          Well-known UK-based vet Roger Blowey was in Ireland recently speaking at a lameness seminar organised by Provita, who manufacture hoof care products. Most of his talk was about preventing injuries to hooves and reducing the incidence of digital dermatitis or Mortellaro. He said that lameness is a disease of dairy cows caused when they are heifers.

          His view is that young stock should be exposed to the same underfoot conditions as cows, saying that this helps to build up the digital cushion in the hoof and it helps to prevent injuries after they calve.

          On foot trimming, he said that you cannot have a one-size-fits-all approach to sole length or hoof angle as all cows are different and previous advice on having a uniform sole length was incorrect.

          He said that cows which are observed lame should be treated early, as this has a big bearing on getting a positive outcome.

          When it comes to managing Mortellaro, keeping yards clean and dry, preventing cross contamination and regular foot bath (every day in some cases) was the only way to tackle the disease.