Cow footbaths

Footbaths are essential for disinfecting cows’ feet and preventing the spread of disease. Work through these pages to find out how to improve your footbath design and use. 

Footbaths are used for disinfecting cows’ feet as part of the control of digital dermatitis (DD) and heel horn erosion. Ineffective footbathing can make infectious conditions worse by encouraging spread and by reducing the skin’s natural defences. This makes an effective footbath an essential part of dairy farm design.

Work through these pages to find out how to improve your footbath design and use. Aspects covered include:

• Maintaining a good flow of cows and making sure feet are in contact with the detergent solution for long enough
• Calculating the amount of detergent you need for the correct dilution rate for your footbath size
• How often your cows should pass through the footbath
• The best designs for narrow and wide footbaths

Follow the links below to find out more.

Good cow flow and contact

Good cow flow through a footbath reduces splashing, which wastes less detergent while also reducing the risk of teat contamination. Find out how to encourage good cow flow and contact.

Maximising detergent effectiveness 

For a cow footbath to be effective, the disinfectant needs to be able to reach the skin, and for long enough. This page takes you through considerations for making sure this happens.

Chemical dilution rate

It’s vital to know the volume of your footbath so you use the correct amount of chemical. This page explains recommended dilution rates and how to calculate how much you need.

Ease and frequency

How often should you footbath your cows, and how can you make it easier to incorporate footbathing into your normal routine? This page shows you how to make your footbath easy to use.

Narrow and wide footbath designs

When choosing a footbath design suitable for your herd, there are pros and cons to consider for each. Find out more and view diagrams of ideal narrow and wide footbath designs.

Useful links