Footbath for suckler cows and Mortellaro cures?

Magic A

This year during the winter I need to give a suckler herd of cows a footbath in the shed as Mortellaro has crept into the heard and is spreading. I am just looking for any ideas on what is the easiest and less time consuming way of doing this? Has anybody got experience of doing this or have a system in place that works well?

The shed is a 5 bay * 14.6", has cubicles and a creep area at the back. entrance to the creep area is at either end. I was thinking of putting footbath in the creep area and pushing them all through it daily but this will not work when calving starts. Anyone got any other ideas?

Is there any other effective way of getting rid of mortellaro?

Dont be daft

We put in two footbaths that the cattle walk through on their way out of the chute in the crush

Anytime their in the crush for what ever reason (reading, dosing, tagging, testing, injecting etc.) their run through it. Has worked well for us. I find you do have to encourage them at first but they get used to it.

Lameness is down across the herd and importantly when it does crop up its usually a quick recovery.

I'd say a footbath at each entrance to the creep area will do the trick. We built a timber frame and poured concrete around the plastic baths so they cant be kicked around. Then when their finally full of sh*te you can just lift it up out of the set and empty it, pop it back in and start again.


Will see if I can post up pics of it but cant imagine a better way of doing it.

raindodger

what product are you using

What we use is Linco-spectin 100 made by Pfizer We mix it in water with a little washing up liquid, and use one of those cheap hand sprayers to spray their feet. We spray all the cows once a day for three days. We find it works well.

mantua

Blue stone is great to heal cattles feet, may be hard to get now where you are but mix it with water and let it settle and put it in a hand spray bottle and spray their feet with it.

whelan1

Deleted User wrote: »

What we use is Linco-spectin 100 made by Pfizer We mix it in water with a little washing up liquid, and use one of those cheap hand sprayers to spray their feet. We spray all the cows once a day for three days. We find it works well.

not sure if this is licensed for cattle, i might be wrong.... have used the mayo healthcare footbath... jeeny my wellies where blue for a month after:eek:

dar31

Deleted User wrote: »

What we use is Linco-spectin 100 made by Pfizer We mix it in water with a little washing up liquid, and use one of those cheap hand sprayers to spray their feet. We spray all the cows once a day for three days. We find it works well.

this is really the only treatment for mortellarto, that is of any use. if you can wash off feet and let dry for a few minutes before spraying.

a shot of efficure will help dry it up, but wont cure it altogether
in severe cases, lift the foot and apply linco spec powder, on a piece of tissue, direct to the infected area, and bandage with silage tape, be sure to take tape off on the second day, powder only needs an hour or less contact to work.

farmerjack

whelan1 wrote: »

Deleted User wrote: »

What we use is Linco-spectin 100 made by Pfizer We mix it in water with a little washing up liquid, and use one of those cheap hand sprayers to spray their feet. We spray all the cows once a day for three days. We find it works well.

not sure if this is licensed for cattle, i might be wrong.... have used the mayo healthcare footbath... jeeny my wellies where blue for a month after:eek:[

Your right it's not licensed for cattle, but if you have a problem with mortallero it's the only thing that will cure it

whelan1

farmerjack wrote: »

whelan1 wrote: »

not sure if this is licensed for cattle, i might be wrong.... have used the mayo healthcare footbath... jeeny my wellies where blue for a month after:eek:[

Your right it's not licensed for cattle, but if you have a problem with mortallero it's the only thing that will cure it

i was just mentioning it:) haveused it before and it works well

Magic A

wextext wrote: »

What we use is Linco-spectin 100 made by Pfizer We mix it in water with a little washing up liquid, and use one of those cheap hand sprayers to spray their feet. We spray all the cows once a day for three days. We find it works well.

This hand sprayer seems like the ideal solution for the problem we have locking barriers and with suckling cattle it seem to be the easiest approach.

You say you do it for 3 days is that once a week, month, year?

We have been advised to use the linco-spectin 100 as it seems to be the only solution to getting rid of it. I haven't read the label on it yet but what mix are you using?

Not being smart but we spray them when they need it. Might work out to be a couple of times a year.
It has been a while since I mixed some up, but I have a jug (around 1litre) and I add 2 teaspoons of the powder and a small squirt of washing-up liquid (helps it stick).
Works best if you could keep their hooves clean after spraying. ie don't let them anywhere mucky for maybe 20 - 30 mins after spraying. Also the hooves can't be covered in muck when you are spraying them.
If you have any cattle that are very bad, it could be worth while getting one of those hoof-care lads in. A good hoof-care specialist is worth a lot.

Magic A

Deleted User wrote: »

Not being smart but we spray them when they need it. Might work out to be a couple of times a year.
It has been a while since I mixed some up, but I have a jug (around 1litre) and I add 2 teaspoons of the powder and a small squirt of washing-up liquid (helps it stick).
Works best if you could keep their hooves clean after spraying. ie don't let them anywhere mucky for maybe 20 - 30 mins after spraying. Also the hooves can't be covered in muck when you are spraying them.
If you have any cattle that are very bad, it could be worth while getting one of those hoof-care lads in. A good hoof-care specialist is worth a lot.

Thanks wextext for all the info on this can use a power washer to clean the area/feet and leave them locked up for a hour or so just to get it to stick, it seem like the best solution for our set-up.

freedominacup

Once you get the mortellaro treated you'll have to footbath regularly throughout the winter and whenever the animals are in the yard during the summer with bluestone for hardening the hooves and formalin for treating any growths etc every second time. Blue stone at 4-5kgs/100l and I think the formalin @ 2l/100l. The standard plastic footbaths full to a few mm over the ribs take around 50l of water. You'll probably have to treat with linco spec once a year as well. Don't attempt to put it in footbaths it won't work and you'll go broke trying to buy enough of it to get concentrations correct. Other posters outlined the most effective way of administering it.

Dont be daft

Said I'd put up pics of the footbaths for anyone who's interested.

Might be helpfull to some one who's putting them in.

If I was to change one thing I would have put the farthest away tap just at the edge of the bath.
Often use it if something gets covered in sh*te while working at the headgate behind and its a pain to have to lean so far in over the bath