Hoof horn quality in dairy cattle affects lameness susceptibility. Nutrition, genetics, and environment all influence horn quality and welfare outcomes.
Poor hoof horn quality predisposes cattle to sole ulcers, white line disease, and other painful foot conditions. Nutritional support for horn production - through biotin, zinc, and methionine supplementation - reduces lameness susceptibility, preventing the chronic pain that affects so many dairy cows. Horn quality improvement is a preventive welfare investment.