Bovine foot conformation and structure are impacted by several factors such as infection, trauma, age, nutrition, weather and genetics. This article addresses the genetic component of foot soundness in cattle. Both the Foot Angle (Angle) and Foot Claw Set (Claw) traits are critical to structural soundness of cattle. These traits equate to longevity and productivity in beef herds, thereby having long-term economic impact. While several beef breeds are developing EPDs for feet and leg structure, the American Angus Association (AAA) has developed EPDs for Angle and Claw. The information in this article is based on the AAA guidelines.
Currently, lower EPD values for Claw and Angle indicate phenotypes closer to the ideal of 5. The EPDs generated are based on breeder submitted phenotypes, pedigrees and genomics. Additional guidelines for collection of scores are as follows:
- phenotypes should be collected on a hard, flat surface where feet can be easily evaluated.
- scores should be collected outside of a chute so that cattle are standing naturally.
- scores should be collected by the same person during the entire duration of scoring to minimize bias.
The scoring system and EPDs generated can be used to improve foot soundness by both commercial cattlemen and purebred breeders. Both of these traits are moderate in heritability (Foot Claw Set = .25, Foot Angle = .26) with a positive genetic correlation of .38 between the two traits. Accordingly, selection pressure applied to Claw and Angle EPDs will lead to genetic improvement in the structural soundness in beef cattle.
