Identifying the Causes of Lameness: On Farm Data Collection Methods for a Cohort Study

Lameness encompasses a whole range of diseases and conditions that impair walking. As such identifying the causes of 'lameness' is inherently difficult. Some risk factors for specific feet and leg conditions have been identified in previous studies. For example, floor type, cubicle dimension, stage of lactation and milk production have been demonstrated to be associated with lameness in cattle (Faull et al., 1996; Leach et al, 1997; Green et al, 2002; Webster, 2002). As yet the relative importance of such factors has not been investigated and the associations between specific causes of lameness and management, environment and individual cow characteristics has not been fully elucidated.

This study aims to identify environmental and management conditions that influence the level and type of lameness on 53 dairy farms in England and Wales. The study uses data on occurrence of lameness collected by the farmers together with ...