Professional hoof trimmer Karl Burgi, Baraboo, Wisc., tells his clients to trim the feet of all first-calf heifers about 30 days prior to freshening.
Generally, when heifers calve, their feet are not too long, but the claws are uneven in height. With these imbalanced claws, an animal’s weight is not evenly distributed on the claws when she walks. This can lead to lameness problems down the road.
For example, in herds where heifers are not trimmed before calving, Burgi tends to see a lot of sole ulcers and other foot problems at 90 to 120 days in milk. By comparison, in the herds where Burgi is able to trim the heifers before calving, he rarely sees foot problems in first lactation animals. Or, if he does encounter a problem, it tends to be less severe.
Reprinted with permission from Dairy Today.