12/11/2025
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17gJQgnPys/
An interesting article on taking decisions based upon feet problems.
Every producer wants sound feet in their flock.
But somewhere along the line, sound became confused with ruthless.
TOO many are quick to cull every sheep that ever limps without stopping to ask why it limped.
Here’s the truth from the field and the science behind it.
Feet do not fail on their own.
They fail under pressure. Long wet spells, sharp ground, feed changes, stress events that weaken horn growth and tear the hoof capsule apart.
When a whole mob shows signs, that is not genetics, that is environment.
Radical culling under those conditions is not selection. It is destruction.
You are not removing weakness. You are removing resilience. Those ewes that battled through inflammation and healed with proper care often carry the most adaptive genetics in the flock.
Biologically, a hoof can rebuild itself when managed right. Cells reform, tissue stabilizes, and natural horn growth evens out once conditions improve.
That is not a defect. That is recovery, and it can be measured.
Modern hoof management respects that process.
It does not throw away strong animals for a bad season. It observes, records, and corrects. Turning setbacks into data and data into progress.
Trimmers who understand this balance see the results. When inflammation is handled early, fertility steadies, feed efficiency returns, and the entire flock walks stronger for it.
You do not need to lose good stock to look like you are doing something.
Progressive flocks are not trimming out of habit.
They are reading the signs, adapting, and applying real science.
A sound foot is not just a mark of good breeding. It is proof of good stewardship.
TRUE selection starts with understanding the cause, not just cutting away the symptoms! 
