Footbath Design

Footbath regimes are an integral component of infectious hoof disease control in freestall dairy systems. Topical application of antibacterials such as copper sulfate, formalin, zinc compounds, and other disinfectants have been shown to aid in the control of digital dermatitis (heel warts) by preventing the reversion of chronic lesions back into acute painful stages of the disease.

A well designed footbath serves to control infectious hoof disease at the least cost. That means the design should optimize transfer of the antibacterial to the feet as the cow walks through the bath while minimizing the volume of solution that has to be used.

Footbath Dimensions

Worldwide, the most commonly found footbath is designed to be ~50 gallons (190 liters) capacity, 6 inches (15 cm) deep, 77 inches (196 cm) long and 36 inches wide (91 cm). This is not recommended since short baths fail to transfer chemical effectively to the cow’s feet.

Observe how the cows walk through the 6-foot (1.8 m) long footbath, placing one of their rear feet only once in the treatment solution while the other is immersed twice.

Our research shows that in order for both rear feet to receive at least two immersions as the cow walks through the bath, the bath needs to be at least 10 feet (3.0 m) long. At 12 feet (3.7 m), half the rear feet receive three immersions. Studies have also shown that longer baths improve the control of infectious hoof disease, no matter what chemical is used thus emphasizing the importance of chemical transfer to the feet.

The disadvantage of making the footbath longer is that the volume and required amount of chemical increases if we don’t change the other dimensions.

In our research, we made the width of the bath narrower in order to control final volume and found that cattle tolerate narrower baths well down to 20 inches (51 cm), provided that the side walls of the bath are sloped. We typically widen the entry to 36 inches (91 cm) at 36 inches (91 cm) above the bath floor. We also changed step-in height and found that cows tolerate a relatively high step at ~10 inches (25 cm), which has the advantage that it retains more chemical and reduces losses while helping short stride the cow to improve the number of immersions. With a 10 inch (25 cm) step, we can fill baths to a 3- to 4-inch (8 to 10 cm) depth and still have sufficient chemical for the last cow going through the bath.

In summary, a 12-foot (3.7 m) long bath, 24 inches (61 cm) wide with a 10-inch (25 cm) step-in height filled to 3.5 inches (9 cm) would contain 52 gallons (197 liters) of solution – no more than most of the traditional shorter baths. The side walls are sloped from a height of 3 feet (0.9 m) above the floor of the bath to the upper edge of the bath, and the sides should be enclosed to create a tunnel. This design will promote cow flow through the bath and reduce defecation. Because the bath is a long tunnel, we advise creating a hinged drop panel on one side of the bath so that if a cow fell and could not get up, she could be rescued.

Suggested footbath design with a drop panel on one side

Simulation video of the recommended slope-sided footbath design with one or two side drop panels.

Footbath location at the end of the parlor exit lane

The footbath is level and the cows make an additional step down the the exit lane

Baths may be poured with concrete, but many are now pre-fabricated in stainless steel or plastic.

A prefabricated plastic footbath

Location of the Footbath

Wherever the footbath is located, it is preferable to be able to divert cows into or around the footbath, rather than walk cows through a bath of manure each day it is not being filled.

While the parlor exit lanes are the most common location for footbaths, the lane is sloped and cow flow may be compromised if located too near to the parlor. We recommend leveling the lane where the footbath is located and stepping the cows onto a platform with an additional step down after ~6 feet (1.8 m).

An alternative is the level transfer lane between barn, where the footbath lane may be used or closed off as necessary. In cold climates, this location will suffer from freezing if under floor heating pipes are not included in the design of the area.

Transfer lane with a poured concrete footbath. Note the position of the gates to allow cows to bypass the footbath.

Without a sloped side, some cows will step on the sidewall curb instead of in the bath. Even a short, sloped sidewall on the bath will help prevent this. Note the gate along the footbath below allowing for easy access to the bath for cleaning.

In robotic milking herds, locate the footbath in the center exit lane from the robots in pen layouts with the robot on the side of the pen. In layouts with robots in the center of the barn, the location of the footbath is problematic and a transfer lane may have to be used to walk cows through the bath on a regular basis.

Robotic milking unit with the footbath located in the center exit lane from the robots.

Adjacent to all baths should be a preparation area where the footbath chemical can be mixed and transferred as required to the bath. Repurposing old bulk tanks is an ideal low cost solution. Well mixed solution can be transferred to the bath via the ‘milk pump’ as needed, typically after 150 to 350 cow passes.

Pros and cons of using a wash bath

Proponents of putting a wash bath in front of the treatment bath claim that wash baths stimulate the cow to defecate in the wash bath before the cow steps through the treatment bath (leaving the treatment bath cleaner), and that wash baths help clean the foot off before it enters the treatment bath. It is hard to believe that a single immersion in water significantly cleans off the cow’s foot before she enters the treatment bath. If we are serious about cleaning the feet, several days of bathing with a surfactant such as liquid hand soap or rock salt would probably be more efficacious, and for that, a single bath will suffice.

In the data we have collected, we have found no evidence that a wash bath keeps the treatment bath cleaner. In fact, our observations suggest that the presence of a wash bath in front of the treatment bath increases the manure contamination of the treatment bath.

Use of a wash bath has two other significant problems. Firstly, when they are located immediately adjacent to the treatment bath, the water from the wash bath is transferred to the treatment bath, diluting the antibacterial being used as the cows pass through the baths, potentially reducing efficacy. Secondly, use of a wash bath adds a significant amount of water volume to the manure lagoon over the course of a year, which has to be stored and spread on the land. For example, a 1,000-cow dairy using a 50-gallon (189 liter) wash bath once a day for 5 days a week and replacing the solution every 200 cows would add 50 gallons x 5 days x 5 solution replacements x 52 weeks = 65,000 gallons (246,052 liters) of wastewater to the manure storage.

At this time, the costly addition of a wash bath cannot be justified.