Lameness Under Grazing Conditions

As the size of New Zealand dairy herds increases, one of the results is an increasing incidence of lameness.

Farmers consistently include lameness as one of the “big three” animal health problems on their farms, together with infertility and mastitis.

There are many smaller herds that have a low incidence of lameness. Some herds of 300 to 500 cows in our practice regularly have as few as 15 to 25 lame cows total in a twelve month season. The average seasonal incidence of traumatic lameness in smaller herds (less than 500 cows) is about 10%.

In larger herds the incidence of lameness is difficult to assess because of a lack of accurate records. However, it is quite common for 5% to 10% of a large herd to be lame on any one day during the vulnerable period around mating and after periods of heavy rain. Some large herds have records of 50% of the herd having received treatment for lameness at least once during the season ...