By Cathy Roemer – Progressive Dairyman Writer

JEROME, Idaho - It's not that Larry Palmer isn't sensitive to bovine needs when he says, "Cows are not intelligent animals." Palmer is simply talking about what he knows, and he knows cows – from udder to toe, you might say.

A former dairyman turned hoof trimmer and now owner of a metal manufacturing business, Palmer said, "You have to do everything you can to help cows figure out what they need to do."

Invention sprang forth nine years ago as Palmer Manufacturing when he put his "common cow sense" and metal working talents to work to create cow-friendly hoof trimming equipment.

For Palmer, cow comfort wasn't just a buzz-word, it was a priority. He set out to design a hoof trimming chute that would minimize cow stress at pedicure time and give hoof trimmers "optimum cow flow."

"No cow wants to go into a chute," he said. "So the first thing she does when the gate catches her head is back up to get away from it."

Palmer said the cow's instinctive reverse action throws the process out of whack for the hoof trimmer. Not only are her feet in an awkward position for trimming but when the cow is let down from the chute she's apt to be standing on the back of her feet causing her to lose her balance and go down.

"A downed cow is not a good situation," he said. "It can take a lot of work to get her up and out of the chute and it really puts a lot of stress on her."

More chaos erupts if a cow's feet become tangled in the belly straps in her struggle to get free. Using hydraulics, Palmer designed a "butt plate" that pushes the cow into the chute from behind, helps support her weight and keeps her in proper position while her feet are worked on. In addition, the belly straps holding up her mid-section swing easily away, reducing the risk of entanglement.

Nor was Palmer averse to another's ingenuity. At a dairyman's recommendation, he crafted a "rib rest" on the chute's lift platform.

"There are a lot of nerves in a cow's shoulder area," Palmer said. "If the lay on their side too long, the nerves can go to sleep and cause damage."

So Palmer built a slightly raised metal plate that fits directly behind the cow's shoulder when she lies on the tilt table. The elevated "mini platform" allows the cow's rib cage area, not her shoulder, to support the brunt of her weight.

Knowing there's always room for improvement, Palmer recently incorporated another of his client's ideas to customize the alleyway going into the trimming chute.

What a cow can't see, she won't shy away from so he re-vamped the former open steel-panel, straight alleyway to one that is slightly curved. He enclosed the outside panel creating a "blind wall" effect.

"Cows are in the chute before they know it," he said.

The blind wall design has been a "win-win", Palmer said. Hoof trimmers get optimum cow flow through the chute, there is minimal electric shock prodding to get the cows in, and dairymen know their animals are being handled humanely.

"It just works excellent," Palmer said. "It's phenomenal."

He manufactures portable and stationary chutes but recommends the permanent, on site equipment.

"Let's face it, " he said. "Treating a cow's feet is a terrible job but if the chute is there when you need it you are more likely to treat her before the problem gets worse."

Because lameness is an economic drain, prompt, on site hoof care can save producers money, too.

"If they can get a cow in, get her treated and back on her feet, they minimize production loss," he said. "It doesn't take many cows to pay for a chute."

Permanent chutes also reduce risk of transmitting infectious diseases from one dairy to another. Although hoof trimmers are careful to clean their mobile equipment between jobs, stationery chutes mean less traffic in and out of the dairy.

"With on site equipment you have the security of knowing your dairy is bio-secure," Palmer said.