Feet

[glover36]

What do you do with your cows that need there feet trimmed, we just got a vet in todya to do 6 beef cows and 2 dairy he used to turn table, also we could not find any one around here that would od beef, prett pricy vet is 2.50 a minute and 75 for service call.

 

[dun]

We send them to the kill pen at the auction. Unless it's a dairy with high grain load and concrete to walk on most of the time a cow shouldn;t need it's feet trimmed

dun

 

[vs_cattle]

Talk To Other Ranchers To See What They Do And Who They Use Im Here In Central California And It Runs 25 Head But You Can Have Some One Teach You Then Go Buy The Supplies At Most Feed Stores

 

[dj]

 

[Limomike]

I can honestly say we have never trimmed any of our cows feet..... never needed to.

 

[travlnusa]

Have one cow that I have the hoof trimmer guy come out to fix. I keep her because I use her to plant ETs in, and she has always settled on first service, and is a good mother cow.

 

[blk mule]

Wish i could say, my cows don`t need trimming but, unfortunaley i have one or two that does. In my location there is NOT to many vet`s. that do this. The one i use is approx. 50 miles away and the price is $10 for using the table plus $10 for each foot trimmed.
It`s like pick a number and get in line, believe me, they do a lot of trimming.

blk mule

 

[ltroglin]

Dun, I am sure you were not perfect when you were born, sometimes the feet are genetic, and half to be trimmed, spending a little time trimming a cow's hoof isn't any worse than checking a man for prostate cancer but we don't send you to the slaughter.

 

[ltroglin]

spelled in error, half, should be have

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Dun, I am sure you were not perfect when you were born, sometimes the feet are genetic, and half to be trimmed, spending a little time trimming a cow's hoof isn't any worse than checking a man for prostate cancer but we don't send you to the slaughter.

i use a pair of prune'in shears just reach through and nip when im working em

 

[dun]

Dun, I am sure you were not perfect when you were born, sometimes the feet are genetic, and half to be trimmed, spending a little time trimming a cow's hoof isn't any worse than checking a man for prostate cancer but we don't send you to the slaughter.

If it's genetic that's all the more reason they should be butchered. If it's managment, that's another matter.

dun

 

[jcarkie]

foot problems are one thing that will cost you. i have had a few long toed cows that never had any problem getting around, so i never trimmed them. it is a very good reason to cull, it can be hereditary.

 

[bgm]

Dun, I am sure you were not perfect when you were born, sometimes the feet are genetic, and half to be trimmed, spending a little time trimming a cow's hoof isn't any worse than checking a man for prostate cancer but we don't send you to the slaughter.

We neither slaughter or cull humans. Cattle on the other hand is business. It's a given that almost every healthy animal will be eaten so slaughter is inevitable for even the best. Not every animal will make the grade as a breeder and those that don't should be culled. A cow would have to have some exceptional attribute before I'd keep those kinds of genetics in my herd (and for the life of me I can't even imagine what that attribute could be).Culling improves your herd, improves your profits and that should be what this is about.

Bad feet, they would be gone, I've got too many other things to tend to, and there are too many good animals without those problems out there.

 

[mdmdogs3]

i use a pair of prune'in shears just reach through and nip when im working em

same here - no big deal
last time had one cow that her toe nails were starting to cross - trimmed them right up before it became a problem
you trim your toe nails don't you??? ;-)

 

[donnaIL]

in duns defense he has posted about different foot problems, i.e., long toes, sissor toes etc... other folks as long as the cow gets around and is productive, toe clipping not that much why not? I want cows that don't need it , but sometimes...

we also took a cow for hoof/toe grinding (they actually do it with a small grinder), it is in demand apparently in clinton county, IL the largest dairy cattle population in the county. The vet has a very good chute system under a 40x60 (est) covered barn and the table is a hydraulic type, they lay them on the side and grind away. His chute system is good so I actually took an injured pregnant cow there last year, and a bull there a couple years ago that had a hook pierce through his eyelid. He charges a $25 facility charge and them minimal charges...the more you bring the cheaper it is.. never paid more that $30.

Our long sissor toed cow has given us five good bull calves, her toe trimming (once) is paid for... she probably would have been fine with out it, sometimes humans worry more about that stuff. donna

 

[Aaron]

If that is a cow's only major fault, then ok. Just make sure you are breeding her to bulls that will work hard to correct that fault. I had a cow with perfect fertility (same calving date year after year) that always raised a decent calf. Trimmed her toes every couple of years, but made darn sure that I bred her A.I. to bulls with good feet and legs, or used a natural sire who would also improve the feet situation.