Foot trimming: how to lift a cow’s foot

From preparing the workspace to safety measures, here are some helpful ideas to make lifting your cow’s foot easier.

Good-quality hoof trimming is a difficult skill to master, and a poor-quality job can make cows lame. A practical training course is strongly recommended for all new trimmers, and regular refresher courses help keep you up to date and improve your technique.

Be prepared

• Have a comfortable crush for inspecting feet
• Make sure the crush is always clean and available in an area where you are happy to work: light, dry and airy is best
• Make sure you have good cow flow, using a race
• Avoid cattle slipping by using a rubber mat, sawdust or similar substrates in the crush
• Don’t lift the cow’s foot too high
• Start with the lame leg first

The back chain

A chain around the back of the cow allows you to lift a hind foot without tying the leg to the back of the crush or a block, which cows resent and which positions the foot at an awkward angle. Many crushes can be simply adapted, as shown in the photo, by threading the back chain through the leg strap.

Belly band

These give the cow more confidence and security while lifting feet, particularly front feet. The band should:

• Be wide, forward on the animal and loose-fitting
• Take more of the cow’s weight and avoid over-tightening – the band is there to support but not to take the cow’s full weight
• Enable fingers to fit between the band and the cow

 When lifting the front leg, the opposite back leg may help in some crushes. If a cow falls forward on the yoke, she can choke or crush the nerves on the point of her shoulder, which supply her front leg.

Your own safety

Have your back to the cow and stand on the outside of your knee; as shown in the picture, you can work comfortably in this way. Do not stand where you are likely to be kicked.

Front feet

Invest in a purpose-built foot support.

Useful links