Measurements of healthy and pathologically altered hooves, their interrelation and correlation with body mass in Simmental breeding bulls.

The aim of this paper was to determine the standard measures of the hoof (claw): length, height, heel height and hoof surface in breeding bulls as indicators for the correction of hooves. The paper deals with the healthy and pathologically altered hooves of 11 Simmental bulls, owned by the Centre for Reproduction in Livestock of Croatia, Križevci. After measuring these dimensions, their mean values were calculated, and a statistically significant difference was determined between values within each group of parameters and a certain correlation between the mean values and weight of each bull. The average length of the front limb hooves in the bulls studied was 9.39 cm, and the average length of the hind limb hooves was 9.92 cm. The average height of the front limb hooves was 8.65 cm and average height of the hind limb hooves was 8.63 cm. The average height of the front limb hoof heel of the bulls studied was 5.93 cm, and the average height of the hind limb hoof heel was 5.09 cm. The average surface of the front limb hooves was 122.46 cm² and the hind limb hooves 102.49 cm². The degree of correlation between the hoof length and body mass in front limb hooves was fourfold higher than the one in hind limb hooves. The trimming of the front limb hooves was rendered difficult by the live animals’ restlessness and the fact that they lean on one front limb hoof which is overburdened by the front part of the body during trimming and the horn of the front limb hooves was much firmer than of the hind limb hooves. A negative correlation between the obtained measurements of the heel height in front and hind limbhooves and body mass indicates that the increase in body mass overburdens the legs, and therefore their heel parts. The average surface area of the front limb hooves was 20 percent larger than the surface area of hind limb hooves. A significant and a very high correlation existed for the total area of hooves in relation to body mass of breeding bulls, and this correlation
Cilj rada bio je odrediti standardne mjere dužine nokta (papka), visine papka, visine pete papka te površine papka u rasplodnih bikova kao pokazatelje prilikom korekcije papaka. U radu su obrađeni zdravi i patološki promijenjeni papci 11 bikova simentalske pasmine u vlasništvu Centra za reprodukciju u stočarstvu Hrvatske, Križevci. Nakon izmjere navedenih dimenzija izračunate su njihove srednje vrijednosti, utvrđena je statistička značajnost razlika vrijednosti unutar skupine svakog pojedinog pokazatelja te je određena korelacija srednje vrijednosti određenog pokazatelja i tjelesne mase svakoga pojedinog bika. Prosječna dužina nokta prednjih nogu istraživane pasmine rasplodnih bikova bila je 9,39 cm, a prosječna dužina nokta stražnjih nogu 9,92 cm. Prosječna visina papka prednjih nogu rasplodnih bikova iznosila je 8,65 cm, a prosječna visina papka stražnjih nogu 8,63 cm. Prosječna visina pete prednjih nogu rasplodnih bikova iznosila je 5,93 cm, a prosječna visina papka stražnjih nogu 5,09 cm. Prosječna vrijednost površine papka na prednjim nogama bila je 122,46 cm2, a na stražnjim 102,49 cm2. Stupanj korelacije između dužine papka i tjelesne mase prednjih nogu četiri je puta veći nego na stražnjim nogama. Korekcija papaka prednjih nogu živih bikova bila je otežana zbog nemira životinje i preopterećenja kontralateralne noge tijekom korekcije, a uz to je rožina papaka prednjih nogu bila puno čvršća, negoli stražnjih nogu što je imalo utjecaj na preciznost izmjere papaka. Negativan stupanj korelacije između visine pete papaka prednjih i stražnjih nogu i tjelesne mase upućuje na zaključak da se povećanjem tjelesne mase više opterećuju petni dijelovi papaka. Prosječna površina papaka prednjih nogu je 20% veća od prosječne površine papaka stražnjih nogu. Značajna i vrlo visoka povezanost postoji za ukupnu površinu papaka u odnosu na tjelesnu masu rasplodnih bikova, a ta korelacija je naglašenija u usporedbi površine papaka prednjih nogu i tjelesne mase negoli površine pap