Effects of slatted flooring on claw shape in intensively housed fattening beef cattle

Abstract

Intensivism in the Irish beef industry is a recent and fast-developing process involving the concentration of cattle into large slatted floor houses where they are confined for a six-month winter period. Surveys carried out to assess any alterations in the disease pattern as a result of changing to slatted floors from traditional straw yard housing indicated that twice as much disease (10% incidence) was encountered on slatted floors as on straw yard (5% of cattle).

Lameness with an incidence of five percent of cattle affected was the most serious disease problem on slats and the major lesion causing lameness was septic traumatic pododermatitis which accounted for 43 percent of all lameness cases. Surveys of defects of claws post-mortem indicated that abrasion of the white line was the primary inciting cause of bruising and penetration at the white line though ungulysis or chronic foot rot was an important secondary cause.

Abrasion of hoof horn was considered a function of two factors—floor construction and horn quality. Accordingly to assess the influence of floor construction on claw shape through abrasion the rates of horn growth and wear were measured in beef cattle housed either on slats or on straw over a six-month winter period.