Minerals for Hoof Health

On the farm, everything starts from the ground up, especially when it comes to sound hooves. Strong, healthy hooves directly impact mobility, eating, reproduction, and overall productivity. Resilient hooves are built on a foundation of balanced nutrition, so access to the right minerals is critical. Let’s learn more about how your animals can eat their way to better hoof strength, integrity, and repair.  

What are Hooves Made Of?

Hooves are made of keratin, a protein made of twisted strands of amino acids. These strands must keep a balance of spring/elasticity and strength/hardness to withstand constant weight. The outer hoof layer is lined with fats and waxes that seal in moisture and coat hardened keratin. Several different minerals work together to both build and protect keratin as it continuously grows (just like our fingernails):

• Calcium- activates enzymes that form and crosslink keratin
• Zinc- helps calcium work, creates enzymes that prevent hoof fats and oils from oxidizing
• Copper- creates crosslinks of keratin
• Selenium- antioxidant that protects fats from oxidation
• Manganese- activates enzymes that energize keratinocytes (cells that make keratin)
• Iodine- supports thyroid function and hormone creation for healthy growth and protection from infection

Most North American soils have regional deficiencies in 1 or more of these minerals (especially selenium!), so livestock need extra supplementation to fill in the gaps in their diet. These minerals paired with plenty of crude protein and fats, your herd’s hooves will have everything they need to grow, protect, and self repair. Hoof health is often 1 of the first indicators of a mineral deficiency and must be addressed before it affects an animal’s ability to move, eat, breed, and grow. 

Common Hoof Problems

Hoof problems can happen any time of year, but there are some environmental and seasonal conditions that can spell trouble for hooves.

Hoof Rot, Foot Rot

Muddy conditions (like those in late winter and early spring) can soften hoof tissue and expose them to injury and pathogens. Softened keratin can be broken quite easily by common abrasive objects like sharp gravel and hard sticks. Once keratin integrity is compromised, bacteria enter the soft tissue and spread deeper into the foot structure and joints.
Most hoof rot cases are caused by a bacterium (fusobacterium necrophorum) that is always in your animals’ environment and waste. When it works its way into a hoof crack or injury, this bacteria joins forces with other, more harmful strains (like e. coli, staph, etc.) as they reproduce and spread together.

Hoof Rot Symptoms:

• Lameness- animal will limp or stop putting weight on the infected foot
• Odor- distinct smell coming from necrotic and infected tissue
• Swelling- red, hot tissue around the hoof/hair boundary
• Lesions- ulcerated cracks and separation of the tissue
• Systemic indicators- low energy, decreased milk or weight, loss of appetite, fever

Hoof Thrush, Foot Thrush (more common in horses)

Warm and muddy conditions (like those in late spring-early fall) can cause fungal or yeast infections similar to bacterial hoof rot. Thrush is more common in the natural clefts of the foot. 

Hoof Thrush Symptoms:

• Lameness
• Tenderness/inflamation- even light touching will be painful on swollen tissue
• Odor- distinct smell coming from necrotic and infected tissue
• Discharge- dark, tarry, or sometimes crumbly excretion
• Systemic indicators- low energy, decreased production, loss of appetite

Fescue Foot (winter fescue lameness)

When drought conditions are followed by heavy rainfall (especially in the fall), tall fescue grasses can grow a fungal toxin. When animals eat these grasses (either fresh or dried/stored), it can cause fescue poisoning or toxicity. Fescue toxicity restricts blood flow and circulation, which during colder weather, can cause different symptoms than it does in the summer. 

Fescue Foot (winter fescue lameness) Symptoms:

• Lameness
• Dry gangrene and necrosis- dead or dying tissue in the limbs and other extremities (ears, tails, etc.)
• Rough coat
• Weight loss
• Arched backs

Hoof Health Tips

As with all health problems, the best offense is a good defense! Here are some tried and true tips for health feet on the farm:

• Supplement feed with species approved trace mineral mixes that contain balanced levels of calcium, zinc, copper, selenium, manganese, and iodine.
• Pair minerals with clay digestive supplements that improve nutrient absorption in the gut
• Test forage to measure crude protein, fat, and toxin levels
• Separate infected animals to drier areas and reduce overcrowding
• Create a cleansing livestock foot bath
• Topical poultice treatments for abscesses and broken tissue 
• Consult your vet for treatments or culling where recovery is not possible
• Fill in muddy areas where animals congregate with dry material
• Remove sharp objects from gathering areas (barbed wire, sharp rocks, stubbly brush, etc.)
• Manage manure piles to keep ground around mineral sites, feeders, and waterers cleaner
• Visit Redmond Equine for helpful winter horse hoof care tips.

Support Healthy Hooves with Redmond

Redmond has supported healthy farms all across the country since the 1950s. Our unique sea and volcanic mineral deposit contain nature’s perfect recipe for filling in the gaps in your herd’s diet. With naturally occurring calcium, zinc, copper, selenium, manganese, and iodine, Redmond has the perfect mineral mix to feed your way to healthier hooves.

Mineral Prevention

• Cattle Minerals- Nature balanced sea minerals and fortifications to match any forage quality or life stage
• Bison Minerals- Specially fortified and flavored for even the pickiest eaters
• Goat Minerals- Ideal for all goat species and breeds
• Sheep Minerals- Formulated to support healthy copper levels in sensitive sheep
• Horse Minerals- visit Redmond Equine for mineral and clay horse supplements

Hear how Redmond has helped customers nourish hoof health on their farms:

Gene in Gilette, Wyoming is happy to report that when they feed Redmond to their cows, they have no pink eye, no foot rot, no sick calves, and so few open cows that they don't even preg check cows anymore.

“I have been using the Redmond trace mineral salt for the past two years and can’t be happier with the results...As far as cattle go I have not had to doctor a cow or calf for foot rot or pink eye out on our range ground…I say this about the salt though, it seems the cows do go through it faster than the other but the way I look at that, it's a lot cheaper than having lame or blind cows or calves that aren’t growing.” -Cure, member of Ranchers.net

Topical Treatment

• Redmond Udder Mud- Hydrated sodium bentonite with essential oils that naturally draw out swelling and edema in infected tissue.
• Redmond Simply Clay Horse Poultice- sting free formula of activated bentonite clay, salt, and therapeutic oils to draw out heat and inflammation. 

“Really liking the product! Smells good! Works well! Used it on a skin tear off another cow and it’s allowing time for her to heal with a nice disinfectant barrier.” R. Roberts

“My elderly horse has chronic scratches/mud fever and Udder Mud is the only product that has remotely helped make them go away. We are still early in the process but the improvement is big. Bonus: this product smells awesome!” M. Hescox

“Love, love, love it! Have used Udder Mud for 2 years on my jerseys. Does a great job on the occasional owies.” -L. Neal

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