hooves need trimming...is that normal

[fishgirl4]

buying the angus/gerts that i had all the questions about...now another question... these are about 4 year old cows, good bcs, look good, worked appropriatley..etc., although 2 or 3 of the 13 have fairly long back hooves that need to be taken to the vet (as part of the purchase deal) to be trimmed...one of them even curling up a bit...one looked a little uncomfortable. Is this normal for some breeds or is it that there was nothing like some gravel to grind them down, will i have to do this every year or what...i have never seen that before, but then again i'm new...

 

[grand chaser09]

all cattle need to have there hooves trimmed. not all the time and most tend to chip them off themselfs. i get my show calves done twice a year.

 

[dun]

The reasons for overly long hooves aare too hot a feed ration, poor walking surface and the most common GENETICS. Hooves normally wear down evenly. Poor structure in the rear (genetics) leads to uneven wear.

 

[Frankie]

We've never had a cow's feet trimmed.

 

[hillrancher]

We've never had a cow's feet trimmed.

Frankie, I never trimmed my cows feet either. When they get burned out on fescue or a foot problem have to take the tree pruners to them that is very seldom.

 

[Keren]

all cattle need to have there hooves trimmed. not all the time and most tend to chip them off themselfs. i get my show calves done twice a year.

I have to respectfully disagree.

Very few cattle need to have their feet done. We only trim the few that have had foot/leg injuries and the old old old bull with arthritis.

 

[angus9259]

The reasons for overly long hooves aare too hot a feed ration, poor walking surface and the most common GENETICS. Hooves normally wear down evenly. Poor structure in the rear (genetics) leads to uneven wear.

GENERALLY, if I have to trim hooves it has to go to the sale barn. There is some reason (structure) their hooves aren't wearing proper and I don't want those genetics.

Very few cattle need to have their feet done. We only trim the few that have had foot/leg injuries and the old old old bull with arthritis.

OCCASSIONALLY something external (injury, foot rot, etc) will cause the cow to begin to limp, throwing off their walk and causing the need for the "tree trimmers". I will keep this cow if I still want their genetics in my herd. Otherwise they go too.

 

[KNERSIE]

We've never had a cow's feet trimmed.

I haven't either. Its cheaper in the long run to cull those with structural problems.

We really have to stop agreeing, Frankie. ;-)

 

[6M Ranch]

Show cattle get there's trimmed a couple of times. The others we have trimmed as necessary. Mainly due to very sandy soil. We have absolutely zero rock or other hard ground.

 

[grannysoo]

all cattle need to have there hooves trimmed. not all the time and most tend to chip them off themselfs. i get my show calves done twice a year.

I respectfully disagree too...

I have never had to trim hooves and if it becomes apparant that one needs trimming, he's going for a ride to town.

 

[KNERSIE]

Show cattle get there's trimmed a couple of times. The others we have trimmed as necessary. Mainly due to very sandy soil. We have absolutely zero rock or other hard ground.

Don't know your cattle at all, but I see a pattern when it comes to US show cattle and hoofs that need trimming. I'll give a clue..... they tend to stand tall and present themselves well on a halter.

I have pure white sand where my irrigated pastures are and I've had no reason to trim hoofs, not even on the show cattle.

 

[jkwilson]

They've been fed a hot ration for a long time, and they will probably always be prone to it. Beef cows shouldn't need hoof trimming. It's common in dairy cattle because of the confinement and the ration.

 

[TexasBred]

buying the angus/gerts that i had all the questions about...now another question... these are about 4 year old cows, good bcs, look good, worked appropriatley..etc., although 2 or 3 of the 13 have fairly long back hooves that need to be taken to the vet (as part of the purchase deal) to be trimmed...one of them even curling up a bit...one looked a little uncomfortable. Is this normal for some breeds or is it that there was nothing like some gravel to grind them down, will i have to do this every year or what...i have never seen that before, but then again i'm new...

I'd cut those out with the long hooves and not buy them. These is probably the result of acute accidosis and a "one time trim" won't work. My experience is that they'll just grow back over time. No need to spend good money on a cow that will come with a built in added expense and probably a shortened productive life.

 

[bandit80]

buying the angus/gerts that i had all the questions about...now another question... these are about 4 year old cows, good bcs, look good, worked appropriatley..etc., although 2 or 3 of the 13 have fairly long back hooves that need to be taken to the vet (as part of the purchase deal) to be trimmed...one of them even curling up a bit...one looked a little uncomfortable. Is this normal for some breeds or is it that there was nothing like some gravel to grind them down, will i have to do this every year or what...i have never seen that before, but then again i'm new...

No need to spend good money on a cow that will come with a built in added expense and probably a shortened productive life.

Excellent point. You are buying a problem.

And I am with the others, I have never had to trim a cows feet.

 

[milkmaid]

I'm with Karen... I'll trim the ones that had some injury that caused their hooves not to wear naturally. My 311 is getting her hooves done tomorrow; she had a severe case of footrot 4 years ago and I have her trimmed 2-3x/yr to keep her sound. She's an exception though; I agree with the others who say under normal circumstances cows shouldn't need to be trimmed.

 

[6M Ranch]

I haven't seen a show calf that doesn't need a trimming. Confinement and lot's of grain. With the soil in our area, there's no way they will wear off naturally. Blanket statements like it's genetics or poor care are ignorant at best. I also don't think I would take an otherwise good cow to the sale barn because they need a $25 hoof trimming once a year. Local conditions dictate what you need to do. Where we were raised, soil was harder, more rocky, and they also didn't need to be trimmed.

 

[TheBullLady]

I agree with the majority.. cows shouldn't need their hooves trimmed in a regular pasture environment.

Show cattle, on the other hand, routinely need their feet trimmed because they are generally confined, and on "hot" feed. Also, keep in mind that Brahman influence cattle, ie: Beefmasters, Gerts, etc., tendto be more sensitive to changes in feed or forage that will cause them to founder, which would cause their feet to curl up.

I'd get a little more information on these cows from the owner, so you can determine the cause of the bad feet! Then make your decision based on the information.

 

[Keren]

I haven't seen a show calf that doesn't need a trimming. Confinement and lot's of grain. With the soil in our area, there's no way they will wear off naturally. Blanket statements like it's genetics or poor care are ignorant at best. I also don't think I would take an otherwise good cow to the sale barn because they need a $25 hoof trimming once a year. Local conditions dictate what you need to do. Where we were raised, soil was harder, more rocky, and they also didn't need to be trimmed.

The thing is, we need to be breeding show cattle which do not need to be confined and hooked up IV to the grain. Some of my best show heifers went from the paddock to the show ring, because if they were confined and fed they would be too fat. It IS possible to have show winning cattle that also excel in a commercial situation.

 

[Frankie]

There's also Blue Tongue disease. Cattle get sore footed and their hooves will grow.

http://extension.usu.edu/files/publicat ... eef_02.pdf

 

[angus9259]

I'm with Karen... I'll trim the ones that had some injury that caused their hooves not to wear naturally. My 311 is getting her hooves done tomorrow; she had a severe case of footrot 4 years ago and I have her trimmed 2-3x/yr to keep her sound. She's an exception though; I agree with the others who say under normal circumstances cows shouldn't need to be trimmed.

This is where I'm at. I'll keep one IF I know it's not genetic and IF I really want the genetics.

I wouldn't ever buy anything that needed hooves done before they showed up though.

Cows are cheap right now and good solid cows are available everywhere.