Footbaths Farming Note

Lameness is the third highest cause of culling in Kingshay Health Manager recorded herds and costs an estimated £205 per case. The top 25% of farmers see 24 cases of lameness per 100 cows, compared to the average 46 cases, equating to a financial difference of £4,428.  Foot bathing can be a valuable tool in controlling the incidence of both infectious and non-infectious lameness in a herd, but it needs to be well implemented and managed to be effective.

This Farming Note covers:

• Why use a footbath?
• Design considerations when setting up a footbath
• What type of footbath?
• Locating the footbath

Issued April 2014.

About Kingshay Farming Notes

Since 1991 Kingshay has been publishing Farming Notes on issues critical to the success of a modern dairy farm business. These briefings provide dairy farmers, large animal vets, farm consultants and other interested parties with the most important and timely information in a concise two-page format. The information contained in our Farming Notes is written and updated by our experts to ensure accuracy and save you time.

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