Regular preventive pedicure of cows
Preventive hoof care with the hoof care box
Preventing hoof issues is better than treating them. Regular hoof care, combined with preventive measures like automatic spray bars or hoof baths, helps maintain healthy hooves. Explore how structured hoof care fits into daily farm management.
In a series of five articles, hoof health expert André Janse, Farm Management Specialist at Lely, takes a closer look at this topic and shares valuable insights and practical tips.
Locomotion = Barn design + Hygiene & Climate + Preventive hoof care + Nutrition
Preventive hoof care
Of course, preventing hoof problems is always better than curing them. A management style focused on prevention therefore consists of prevention of infectious diseases (e.g. deployment of automatic spray bar or automatic hoof bath) and regular preventive pedicure of cows. This requires commitment of labour that is not automatically available externally. On larger farms, the farmer has to organise this himself. After all, preventive management remains necessary. To fit this into the labour cycle, it is desirable to apply weekly hoof care to some of the animals in a way that each animal is still checked twice a year. A good method is to do this for the first time in the week when the animal is 100 days in lactation and once at the end of lactation when the animal will be put dry. A suitable treatment box in the management area is necessary here. Task-oriented work with tools such as the right setting in Horizon can be useful here. Animals are then waiting for a grooming session on the right day in the right place. A cow should then easily be guided into the hoof care box by one person.
In this way, excess horn can be removed twice a year, inspection takes place and hoof care is staggered without causing a spike in the labour film.
Other Farming Insights
Why farmers choose the Lely Discovery Collector
When it comes to barn hygiene, every farmer can recognise themselves in at least one of the following challenges:
- Labour shortages and succession planning – Skilled labour is hard to find, and automation offers a sustainable solution.
- Maintenance headaches – Conventional systems require frequent rope changes and repairs, costing time and money.
- Deep bedding stress – Managing sand or other bedding materials adds complexity.
- Limited cleaning with traditional scrapers – Corners and tight spaces often remain dirty, impacting hygiene.
The Lely Discovery Collector is developed to address these problems. Designed for barns where traditional systems can struggle, it combines robust engineering, intelligent operation, and reliability to clean practically every corner, even the hard-to-reach areas, day and night. For farmers who strive for consistent hygiene, healthier cows, and less manual labour, the Discovery Collector is the smart choice.
The first solution for dense barn floors: the Lely Discovery Collector
Keeping your barn clean is essential for cow health, milk quality, and overall farm efficiency. But what if your barn has dense floors, sand bedding, or irregular layouts? Traditional scraping systems often struggle in these conditions. That’s why Lely developed the Discovery Collector, the first manure robot designed specifically for dense barn floors.
This innovative solution combines robust engineering, intelligent operation, and proven reliability to deliver consistent cleaning in even the most demanding environments. It’s not just a manure collector, it’s a smarter way to supporting barn hygiene and cow comfort, contributing to cleaner conditions in all areas of the barn.
Why reliability and adaptability matter in automatic manure cleaning
If you’re considering automatic manure cleaning, two questions usually come first: “Will it work in my barn?” and “Will it keep working?” The Lely Discovery Scraper is built to answer both. With proven technology, robust design, and exceptional fit across different barn layouts, it’s a safe, smart step towards cleaner floors, healthier cows, and a more efficient routine.
