Bovine pedicures
If we humans need our nails trimmed we would normally head off to the spa but for our cattle that's not really an option.
Yesterday some of our cows needed their feet trimming, so a very specialised piece of equipment and an experienced foot trimmer arrived at Welney to help us out.
Part of our Grazing Officer's job is to check the health of the farmers' cows daily and to treat any health issues.
The cows here at Welney are an essential part of the wetland management, grazing our grasses for us and poaching the muddy edges of the water to make it perfect for our birds. However, soft ground does not help to naturally keep their feet warn and so sometimes they need a bit of a pedicure whilst they are staying here in the summer.
To make the process as quick and stress-free for the animals as possible they are put into a modified cattle crush, securely and comfortably strapped in and turned onto their side. The legs are strapped to keep the feet still, as any movement could result in a chipped nail!
Then the foot trimming expert uses an angle grinder to gently and carefully return the feet or 'horns' to their original shape. The cows are then untied, turned the right way up and sent on their way back out into the wetlands with their, much more comfortable and stable, new feet!
The feet of cows are cloven and are made of keratin, the same substance as their horns.
