Moreton Farm Project Update - January 2025

Focus on Feet at Moreton Farm - Project Update January 2025

The project at Moreton Farm kicked off in May 2024 with an initial review of all the available trimming and treatment data to identify the main lesions present and provide a benchmark to compare future changes against. These results were also used to help guide where to focus most attention when it came to preventative measures. 

Figure 1: Type and frequency of foot lesions recorded in 2023.

The AHDB Healthy Feet Programme protocol was followed which involved a full risk assessment of the farm with formulation of action plan which prioritised changes to be made. A key to making the programme successful is ensuring there is involvement from the whole team, including the farm staff, the farm vets (Daleside Farm Vets) and foot trimmer (Mal Hall). To create an easy way of communicating, a WhatsApp group was established to allow quick and easy sharing of information between everyone. This group is used to share trim results, any ongoing analysis/reports, and to bounce ideas around for further areas to look at. It’s also a great way to share the progress being made as well. 

Focus on Success Factors

The trimming records indicated that we were seeing sole ulcers through the housing period and this coincided with housing the autumn calving block. The cubicle accommodation at Moreton Farm is excellent and so the focus was less on improvements to housing and more on ensuring cows were identified and treated at an early stage of lameness. 

The specific areas focused on were the Early Detection and Prompt Effective Treatment (EDPET) of new cases of lameness and the creation of robust feet through the implementation of best practice trimming protocols and techniques. 

Early Detection and Prompt Effective Treatment:

  • Installation of Cattle Eye automated lameness detection technology to allow continual monitoring of cows in order to identify lameness at an earlier stage 
  • Increased routine foot trimmer visits to fortnightly and then weekly during peak times
  • Farm staff trained in ‘First Aid for Feet’ to enable cows going lame in between trim visits to be treated promptly and effectively
  • Review of treatment protocols with incorporation of the use of NSAIDs for new cases of lameness to maximise recovery 

Figure 2: Graph from the Cattle Eye dashboard showing tracking of mobility scores (RoMS 0-3) over time. 

Examining the mobility scores seen in Figure 2, and with the higher numbers calving in the autumn, lameness levels can be seen to rise and peak in the first 100 days after calving. 

Building a Robust Foot:

  • Routine inspection of all cows (including 1st lactation heifers) at 60-80 days in milk.
  • Tweaking of trim technique so that a wider, deeper model was made in the sole of the foot as part of the routine trimming protocol. This meant that more weight was alleviated from the sole ulcer site, reducing the risk of lesion development. 
  • Checking of concentrate to check biotin levels in the feed were at the correct level (20mg/cow/day) to promote good quality horn production.

 

Another Set of Eyes

In addition to installing Cattle Eye, further technology is also being trialled. VetVisionAI cameras have been installed to monitor lying times, standing times and feeding behaviour during housing. This novel technology will build up a picture as to how the cows spend their time and the impact of any changes made to the housing. 

Figure 3: A ‘heat map’ from VetVisionAI showing where cows stand when feeding.

The ‘heat map’ shows 24 hours’ worth of data and indicates how effectively the barrier is being used and whether there are any pinch points. Redder, darker areas indicate that cows have stood in that area for a longer period of time. Overall, the above image shows a good distribution of use of the feed barrier as the full length is being used in a uniform manner. 

Ongoing Monitoring

Improving foot health is an ongoing process and so throughout the project monthly meetings have been held with the whole team to catch up on progress, identify any further areas that need to be discussed and also share positive outcomes. Monitoring will continue until March 2025 when a final project report will be made available.