Feet

Sandpit Farm

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Derbyshire
Not having a good run of wooden cow blocks staying on at present, should I change to gun and cartridge. Powder, and the solution used to make the glue, doesn't seem as potent somehow
It is difficult when it is colder. I always used a wallpaper stripping heat gun to warm the hoof surface and the block and then make sure not to press it all the way down. you need a layer of glue. Presumably you are scarifying the sole surface with the knife hook? I am sure you know all this.

If in doubt, I quite liked the demotec putty. It is a 2 part mixture. Mix it well (don't breathe it in!!) until it doesn't stick to the side of a plastic cup. Spit on your glove and place half of it on the block with your hand (don't get too much at the heal end) carefully push the block to the sole and mould the other half around the edge of the hoof so it merges with the putty that pushes out from the gap. You can make it into a shoe that fits over the top edge of the wall. If you carefully cup the hoof with your hand for a minute or so, the heat from your hand will set of an exothermic reaction and it will heat up on its own (so much that it is too hot touch).

This is the only pic I have of one I did for a toe necrosis View attachment 945052
 
Last edited:

MrA.G.

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Northern Ireland
5F869E77-8116-4B31-88D3-590DB0E8814B.jpeg

This heifer was lame a couple of weeks ago. I couldn’t see anything obvious other than bruising on the outer claw. I put a block on and she was going well but it has since fallen off and she is back limping again.Should I trim any deeper to try and find something more? Any other suggestions?
 

farmboy

Member
Location
Dorset
View attachment 957552
This heifer was lame a couple of weeks ago. I couldn’t see anything obvious other than bruising on the outer claw. I put a block on and she was going well but it has since fallen off and she is back limping again.Should I trim any deeper to try and find something more? Any other suggestions?
Sometimes if it’s nothing obvious it’s in the toe, any small black dots? They are normally pretty lame with this though
 
Location
West Wales
View attachment 957552
This heifer was lame a couple of weeks ago. I couldn’t see anything obvious other than bruising on the outer claw. I put a block on and she was going well but it has since fallen off and she is back limping again.Should I trim any deeper to try and find something more? Any other suggestions?

i think you could model wider without doing any damage but if a block helped then for the sake of it maybe go for a block again?
 

TheRanger

Member
Location
SW Scotland
Had one recently much the same. Late lactation, very lame. Trimmed out, nothing obvious wrong, block on and she walked fine for a month. Once block had worn out got her back in and digging down there ended up being quite a serious sole fracture (double sole? not sure on the correct terminology), now fresh calved and healed up nicely.
 

MrA.G.

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Northern Ireland
Thanks all, I lifted it again and had a good squeeze around and it had a new sole growing. Not sure what caused it as no white line cracking. Possibly a small crack where I have shown the blue mark below. Another question is how best to keep blocks on? Using hoof tite winter glue and blow torch the block and hoof prior to applying but it just stayed on for a day
E947D7AF-10BC-4E4D-854C-229A9A824E4C.jpeg
 

MrA.G.

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Northern Ireland
Always put glue on foot and apply block on top never vice versa
That’s what I’ve always done but when reapplying this evening I tried it the other way to see if it makes a difference. When I find the fallen off blocks it is nearly always the bond between hoof and glue that has failed
 

jimmer

Member
Location
East Devon
That’s what I’ve always done but when reapplying this evening I tried it the other way to see if it makes a difference. When I find the fallen off blocks it is nearly always the bond between hoof and glue that has failed
I use a grinder, the proper hoof disc obviously, to rough the surface up, makes massive difference, as does warming glue
 
I'm back doing more trimming myself at the moment and I'm looking to speed the job up a bit. I've never trimmed with anything except knives before but after watching endless YouTube videos I quite fancy having a go with a grinder on routine re shapes.

Can anyone recommend a good introductory disc?
 
Location
West Wales
I'm back doing more trimming myself at the moment and I'm looking to speed the job up a bit. I've never trimmed with anything except knives before but after watching endless YouTube videos I quite fancy having a go with a grinder on routine re shapes.

Can anyone recommend a good introductory disc?

demotec DL


Sensible price and doesn’t take a large amount of at a time. Run it on a cheaper type cordless battery grinder and it will be a bit slower again. Big difference between the 54v flex volt and the cheap einhill one we have
 

jimmer

Member
Location
East Devon
Another vote for the demote disc especially as a starter
Not for cordless grinder though
Plenty of decent mid range priced grinders on amazon
Mine is a tillswall 240v
 

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