The Effect of Housing and Days in Lactation on the Mechanical Properties of the Hoof Horn in Dairy Cows

The mechanical properties of the hoof horn should reflect the horn structure that is determined by the composition and chemical bonding of keratin proteins, keratin filaments and filament-associated proteins, the structure, composition and amount of the intercellular cementing substance and the architecture of the horn, i.e. the arrangement of horn tubules and intertubular space (Mulling et al., 1994). Morphological differences were reported between front and hind claws and the dry matter of these areas and claws were significantly higher in areas that had higher values of elastic modulus (Schmid, 1995). The quality of keratinisation has been found to be dependent on the appropriate supply of nutrients and oxygen and the living epidermal cells are very susceptible to disturbance of circulation within the vessels of the corium (Mulling and Budras, 2002). Mechanical factors play an important role in the pathogenesis of claw horn lesions and maximum stresses are greater in the axial wall and heel areas (Hinterhofer et al, 2005) and in other studies in the sole area (Van der Tol et al, 2002) those areas ...