LAMENESS TRAITS:
UNDERUSED & UNDERESTIMATED Chuck Sattler, vice president of genetic programs, Select Sires Inc. Whether it’s called locomotion, mobility, hoof health or cow comfort, avoiding lameness events is a challenge for nearly all dairies. Incidence rates can vary widely from farm to farm but national statistics indicate about 13 percent of cows have lameness challenges each lactation. Lameness incidence rates increase as cows get older. So, as we raise fewer dairy replacements and our milking herds include more multiparous cows, the need to breed for reduced lameness is more important than ever. Traditionally, we have selected sires for traits like Foot Angle, Legs Side View and Feet and Legs Composite (FLC) to improve mobility in our cows. While this strategy has been employed for decades, it has not helped us reduce the incidence of lameness. In recent years, new genetic evaluation tools have been developed that more directly address lameness resistance. These tools remain underused and deserve attention and use in sire selection decisions.
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