Charlotte Johnston with TheDairySite offers up some tips for efficiently dealing with lameness in dairy cows, including a reference for mobility scoring by DairyCo. Here is an excerpt from her article, “Tackling Lameness Efficiently.”

The mobility of cows refers to the ability of the cow to walk with a regular gait, without factors of lameness having an adverse effect on the walking pattern.

Poor mobility in cows can cost farmers an average of £180 per case through lost milk sales, treatments and productivity according to research by DairyCo. It is estimated that 25 per cent of the national herd are lame at various levels at any one time. Simon Hopcraft, a foot trimmer in Northampton believes that the incidence of lameness is twice what it was when he started trimming feet back in 1992.

Mobility scoring allows stockmen to assess the levels of lameness of individual animals in the herd and allows for early intervention and treatment if necessary.