Maintenance Trim Schedule for Dairy Cows

A proactive trimming schedule helps reduce lameness, improve cow comfort, increase milk production, and lower culling risk. Rather than waiting for visible lameness, maintenance trims are done preventively at strategic points in the cow’s lactation cycle.

Example Trim Intervals

Group	Timing	Purpose
Fresh cows	30–60 DIM	Catch early lesions caused by calving stress, concrete floors, or diet changes.
Mid-lactation cows	150–200 DIM	Prevent buildup of hoof overgrowth and sole ulcers.
Dry-off cows	At dry-off	Ensure soundness during the dry period and next calving.
Heifers	2–4 weeks before calving	Prepare feet for housing conditions and reduce first-lactation lameness.

Fresh Cows Criteria: create your own criteria from the link

Mid-lactation cows: Create your own criteria from the link

Dry Off Cows: Can be set as an auto event on the protocol if the chore list is not needed. If a chore list is needed you can still trigger the maintenance trim chore from a dry off event.

Heifers:

Benefits of a Consistent Schedule

• Detect hoof problems early
• Reduce treatment costs and antibiotic use
• Improve animal welfare and productivity
• Maintain consistent locomotion scores
• Prevent income loss from lameness-related drops in milk yield

Using BoviSync for Hoof Trim Scheduling & Tracking

BoviSync streamlines hoof trimming by digitizing every step:

1. Create a Trim Protocol

• Define the protocol using BoviSync Protocol.
• Include event: Hoof Trim or custom event like Maintenance Trim.
• Set criteria such as:
• Days in milk (60 DIM, 200 DIM)
• At Dry off
• Lactation number
• Repeat frequency

Protocol:

You can also add paint events or chore types to trigger vet techs or trimmers via the mobile app.

2. Set Up a Chore List in The App: Video

• Name it something like Hoof Trim or Lame List.
• Include cows based on protocol criteria or manual selection.
• Assign it to specific workers or teams.

This list appears directly in the mobile app, helping trim teams sort cows efficiently.

3. Trim Details Cow-Side

• Workers can enter trim data directly in the BoviSync app using:
• Treatments: Hoof Block, Wrap
• Conditions: Sole Ulcer, White Line, Digital Dermatitis etc..

This reduces paperwork, ensures immediate recording, and enables real-time analysis.

4. Generate Reports

• Pull reports showing:
  
• Trim Summary Last Week
• Number of cows trimmed
  
• Lesions found
• Trim Last Week by Technician
• Maintenance Trim
  
• Trim Chores by Pen
  
• Ptc Trimmed by 7 DIM
  
• Trim Chores by Pen
• Cull by Feet and Legs

This helps management monitor herd hoof health over time and adjust schedules as needed.

 

 

One Person Can Do More

Using BoviSync mobile app:

• A single trained staff member can identify lame cows, enter data, sort for treatment, and move animals—all from the cow-side.
• This eliminates the need for multiple people with clipboards and spreadsheets.
• Custom chore lists let farms focus on what they want to see—only animals due for trim this week or only problem cows.

• Related Articles

• Hoof Maintenance Types

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• Import Data into Hoof Supervisor

  This article will guide you in exporting data out of BoivSync to be imported into Hoof Supervisor. Due or Past Due Hoof Trimmings Chore Report This report contains all animals that have a 'Trim' or 'Hoof Maintenance' chore that is due or past due. 1. ...

• Import Accu-Trim Data

  Accu-Trim data exchange with BoviSync Log in to BoviSync Navigate to BoviSync import page (Setup > Import) Choose Accu-Trim from the list, or click Here Download Cow and Heifer files (Figure:1) Make any necessary modifications to the headers in the ...

• Recording and reporting with locomotion events.

  Lameness has a large impact on the productivity and welfare of animals. Locomotion scoring was introduced to determine the prevalence of lameness on a dairy. If a dairy is interested in determining the impact of lameness on their dairy they should ...

• Executing a Successful Hoof Health Program with BoviSync

  Increasing Productivity and Minimizing Lameness Maintaining optimal hoof health in dairy herds is paramount for ensuring peak productivity and minimizing lameness, a prevalent issue that can severely affect cow welfare and farm economics. Leveraging ...