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F A R M S K I L L S
Duncan Gaudie & Iain McCulloch
WORKING
TOGETHER
FOR A HEALTHIER FUTURE...
19
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
Kath Aplin
Paragon Vets
We held a one day foot trimming course,
with funding assistance from the Cumbria
Rural Skills Programme. The course was
aimed at people who had done a foot
trimming course in the past, to review
trimming technique, and improve lameness
control. Five people attended - two had
been on a course about a year before but
hadn’t trimmed many feet, so wanted to
re-build confidence. The other three had
a lot of foot trimming experience, but
wanted to ensure they were still doing
things right.
The majority of the day was spent trimming
feet. After a quick review of the five steps,
four people were set to work trimming - two
cows in crushes, each with a front and
back leg lifted. The fifth person was able
to observe the others trimming, and discuss
foot shape and trimming technique with the
other trainees and instructors. We had two
instructors for this course - me the vet, and
Tony Richardson - foot trimmer and
NACFT instructor. There were plenty of
feet for everyone to practise on, including
straightforward trims and feet with a
variety of lesions. Each foot generated
some discussion and the opportunity
to learn.
After lunch, a quick quiz on lameness
lesions led on to a look around the
farm for environmental factors that might
increase or reduce the risk of different
types of lameness. The recent improvements
that had been made to the host farm
provided a great opportunity to see
what can be done to prevent lameness.
At the end of the course, everyone was
able to identify at least one thing they
would now do differently on their own
cows to trim feet and treat lame cows
more effectively than before the course
- a day well spent.
Find out
more...
So whether accredited through
industry, or followed through
the FarmSkills programmes of
learning in the dairy, beef and
sheep sectors, FarmSkills
training is practical, hands on
and delivers a business benefit
to each farmer who attends.
For more information about
training available in your area,
why not log on to our FarmSkills
website;
www.farm-skills.co.uk
or call us on
01765 608489
FarmSkills, Mill Farm, Studley
Road, Ripon HG4 2QR
FARMSKILLS
NORTH WEST