Claw health: soft-abrasive floors versus concrete slatted floors

The correct claw angle with approx. 45 - 50° is important:

• enables good load conditions on the hoof wall

• high bulb reduces the risk of infectious claw diseases

Research: concrete slatted floor in comparison with the pediKURA system¹⁾

In this study the claw health of

• 41 cows kept on concrete slatted floors was compared to those of
• 40 cows kept on slatted floors with a rubber cover (pediKURA^® S system )

The measurements were taken three times:

• 21 days before calving

• 150 days after calving

• 305 days after calving

Results:

for cows on soft-abrasive floors:

• constant dorsal wall angle of about 50°

• less dermatitis digitalis

• less Rusterholz sole ulcer incl. primary stages

• less laminitis

  tendency to less sole wall ulcers

• tendency to less chronical hyperplasia (corns in the interdigital cleft)

• less clinically lame animals

This shows that soft-abrasive floor covers make it possible to maintain the physiologically correct claw form.

→ all in all, the claws are considerably healthier than on concrete slats

pediKURA system :

80 % of the walking area is covered with soft KURA mats, 20 % with soft-abrasive pediKURA mats.

Further development of this system: profiKURA

→ optimized claw abrasion throughout the cattle house

Source:

1) Günther M.: „Vergleich von Klauenentwicklung und Klauengesundheit bei Milchkühen auf Spaltenboden mit teilweise abrasiven elastischen Auflagen und Betonspaltenboden”, 2015

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