Relationship between Claw Traits and Hoof Disorders in Crossbred Dairy Cattle Maintained Under Field Conditions

Abstract

The major objective of the present study was to find the relationship between the claw traits measurements and hoof disorders in crossbred dairy cattle maintained under field conditions. Claw traits of 180 crossbred dairy cattle were measured from all four hooves of crossbred dairy cattle and out of them 62 cows were affected with the hoof disorders. Statistical analysis was carried using unpaired (two-tailed) t-test at 95% confidence interval to examine the level of significance for the claw and hoof disorder traits, whereas Spearman correlation test was applied to detect the effects of claw traits on hoof disorders. The results revealed that the claw traits viz. claw length (CL), claw height (CH), lateral claw width (LCW) and interdigital space width (IDW) were significantly higher in cows affected with the hoof disorders in comparison to normal hooves. It can be concluded from the present study that the increased length, height, width, heel height and space between the claws of a cow affected with hoof disorder has a significant correlation of claw traits with hoof disorders.