Does laminitis start at weaning?

How you feed heifers at weaning may set them up for future lameness problems, according to preliminary research from Colorado State University.

Researchers collected data from two farms. Farm A weaned calves at 45 days, fed no long-stem alfalfa hay and provided a TMR shortly after weaning. Farm B weaned calves at 90 days, provided long-stem alfalfa hay beginning at 60 days and continued to feed long-stem hay and calf starter through six months of age.

At weaning and one month after weaning, rumen pH was lower and in the “acidotic” range in calves from Farm A compared to calves from Farm B. In addition, one month after weaning, calves from Farm A had three times as many hoof lesions indicative of subclinical laminitis as calves from Farm B.

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