Limping cattle

[Ferrisgeorge]

I have a heard of about 150 brood cows. They are currently being grazed on millet. Over the past week 2 cows and the herd bull have started demonstrating a slight limp which usually appears to favor 1 foot. I have trace minerals, salt with selinium and lime always available as free choice. The water is clean well water. Any ideas on how to prevent this situation from evolving?

 

[Sir Loin]

Ferrisgeorge

Not much to go on there!
From what you told me I can only tell you is you either have an injury problem or some other problem.

The best advise I can give you is to take them off the millet and the “trace minerals, salt with selinium and lime” and put them on hay only for a week and see what happens.
SL

 

[regolith]

Bring the two cows and bull in and look to see what the problem is. Good time to fix it while the foot is up too (or get someone experienced to do so)
That's the only way you'll get any clue whether you're dealing with nutritional issues or injury from the environment/management.
A lot of dairy farmers swear by zinc supplementation and/or footbaths to prevent issues regardless of the root cause (zinc supposedly hardens the hoof). I've never used it myself, getting tempted to... I've got seven out of 150 right now. Have seen five so far this season with infections due to a stone lodged between the claws (because of mud).

 

[TexasBred]

Use zinc in chelated form. Most of your zinc oxide and sulfate just end up on the ground. You might also make sure your mineral has elevated levels of iodine.