10/08/2026
💅Pedicures aren't just for People 💅
Cows get their nails done too!
Last week our girls "got their nails did" when the hoof trimmer made it over from Georgia.
Dairy cows are fed an incredibly nutrient and mineral dense ration to meet the nutrient requirements needed to make so much milk. Most of the time, beef cattle don't have to see the hoof trimmer. But the extra minerals in dairy rations really make their hooves grow faster than the rate they would naturally be able to "wear down" the hooves from walking around.
The girls walk into a chute, and after being secured, the tilt table is lifted and turned on its side so he has access to all four feet at once. When he's done, she's turned back on her side before she's released. Surprisingly most of them remain really calm and don't seem to mind all the new activity, in their **very** regular routine.
We've tried teaching them "Sit", "Lay Down", "Roll-over"... but that hasn't worked yet.
He trims and shapes all the cows in the herd and also corrects and treats any abscesses.
In one picture you can see a "block" that is adhered to the good claw on a cow with a hoof abscess. This allows the abscess to be cleaned out, drained, and treated, and the cow to walk without causing pain. In a few weeks the block will come off and she should be as good as new! Abscesses form on cow hooves for various reasons. But if a cow steps on a rock the wrong way, or anything hard, it can injure the tissue in the hoof.
This cow had been limping for a few days and it was honestly perfect timing that he came when he did.
If this interests you at all, go check out videos from "Nate the Hoof guy".