At JFC we place the customer at the heart of all our decisions. We spoke to dairy farmer Pat Brennan who has seen some excellent results upon using JFC Premium Hoof Solution.
Pat Brennan milks 210 Holstein Friesan cows on a land area of 400 acres in Roscrea, Co. Tipperary. Pat farms in partnership with his son Pauric. Pat started using JFC Premium Hoof Solution this year due to lameness in some of the herd.
Pat had been searching for a hoof care product that would work for his farming enterprise, “We had tried a few different Formaldehyde based products, but found them hazardous to use. We wanted a product that would deliver the best results without any health risks.”
James McGrath is JFC’s on-farm Hoof Health expert for Ireland. James provides practical solutions for the issues that farmers are faced with on a daily basis.
“James explained the benefits of using JFC Premium Hoof Solution in that, it would deliver superior results by quickly reducing lameness in the herd and that it doesn’t pose any health dangers. We haven’t looked back since.”
JFC Premium Hoof Solution
JFC Premium Hoof Solution is a mineral based product that is formulated to keep the pH very low in the footbath. By keeping the pH low in the footbath, it allows the solution to kill and disrupt the bacteria present on the animal’s hoof.
JFC Premium Hoof Solution is highly concentrated, meaning that its cost per animal is very competitive in comparison to other products on the market. Because the pH is kept lower for a longer period of time, we are seeing great results using JFC Premium Hoof Solution.
JFC offer both a dairy and a sheep premium hoof solution which is mineral based.
Pat believes that the main benefit of JFC Premium Hoof Solution is that it is farmer and cow friendly, “It’s important for us that no matter what product we use on the herd, it must improve performance. This is why we used JFC Premium Hoof Solution. If the cows are not performing, you will notice it in the milk yield.”
The cost of lameness
Lameness has such a huge impact on overall production levels. The cost of lameness is truly staggering. By the time clinical lameness is identified, the animal has been lame for much longer than that. This will have impacted their feed and water intake and overall production in terms of milk yield.
It may also result in the culling of what would normally be a productive cow and the overall lifetime milk yield of lame stock.
Lameness is also a welfare issue. Autumn is a key time to consider good hoof management practices and what can be put in place to support milk yields over the next few months.
The difference between a lame cow and a healthy cow is massive in terms of intake, which will in turn impact output. If a cow is lame, she will be the last one going to the feed barrier, this has an overall effect.
Concentration
For farmers that have used formaldehyde based products in the past, we recommend using JFC Premium Hoof Solution at the higher rate of 4%. This means that for a 200 litre footbath that would translate to 8 litres of JFC Premium Hoof Solution. The reason for this is that Formaldehyde based products promote hoof growth over the lesions. To treat the hoof, we need to expose the lesion so that we can tackle the bacteria that is harbouring in there. Once the infected hoof has been treated for 28 days, revert to the 2% maintenance bathing.
Pat has seen a dramatic reduction in the number of lame cows in his herd, “We have been using JFC Premium Hoof Solution for 3 months and have found it very beneficial. We used it for three days a week for three weeks. We put the cows through a drafting system installed on the farm so that we could draft out the lame cows. It takes a while but you will see the difference.”
How often should you be foot bathing?
For optimum results, we would recommend walking the cattle through water first to wash the feet and then recommend foot bathing three days per week for maintenance. Pat believes that a targeted Hoof Care programme is needed to maximise results.
Why choose JFC Premium Hoof Solution?
Formaldehyde based products are very well-known across Ireland and the UK, but we know it’s a very carcinogenic product. Formaldehyde based products do not kill bacteria, it promotes increased hoof growth over the lesion disguising rather than treating the problem. JFC Premium Hoof Solution gets to the cause of the issue by disrupting and killing the bacteria present.
Copper Sulphate or bluestone is only 60% soluble, which is why you have to stand the animals for up to 20 minutes in mineral based solutions. With JFC Premium Hoof Solution, you do not have to. Not only are you getting to the cause of the issue, you are also saving the farmer time, which supports regular practise. JFC Premium Hoof Solution has an absorption rate of 95%.
The key benefits of JFC Premium Hoof Solution
- It is easy to handle and use compared to standard formaldehyde based products
- It is non hazardous
- It is highly concentrated and cost effective
- Labour saving
- Superior results achieved
- Contains natural anti-bacterial properties
- Absorption rate of 95%
JFC Foam Footbath
JFC have been manufacturing footbaths for nearly 30 years. Last year, we introduced a foam footbath to our product range. The foam footbath is mainly used for sheep but can be used for dairy also. The major benefit of the foam footbath is that the solution penetrates the hoof, reduces waste and is less stressful on the animal.
It took us down the road of looking at an environmentally friendly solution that is safe to handle. We researched the current market offering and developed JFC Premium Hoof Solution based on the results of our research and consultation with farmers.
Our R&D department welcome all contributions from farmers which helps to identify their needs. At JFC, we put the farmer first and strive to come up with innovative ways of developing practical solutions for our customers.
