Implications of Robotic Walkway Cleaning for Hoof Disorders in Dairy Cattle

Abstract

Infectious hoof disorders are a serious challenge for dairy production since they cause pain and discomfort in cows and can compromise the competitiveness of dairy farming. Robot scrapers are capable of frequently removing liquid manure fro m slatted floors and can contribute to improved hygiene of walkways. The aim of this study was to observe the imp licat ions of the robotic cleaning of walking areas for infectious hoof disorders in dairy cattle. A large herd ranging fro m 1,247 to 1,328 Holstein Friesian co ws was monitored in two six-month periods in 2012 and in 2013. A ll animals were housed in a cubicle housing system with slatted floors in wh ich walkways were cleaned using robot scrapers in 2013 but not in 2012. Statistical analysis was carried out with either the Chi-square test or the Fisher's exact test in R. Results indicated that the presence of infectious hoof disorders declined after robot scrapers were used for the cleaning of walkways. While in the first investigation period 648 animals suffered from infectious hoof diseases, in the second period only 340 animals were affected. This study stresses the significance of environmental hygiene to improve hoof health in dairy cattle.