Treating lameness is one of those jobs every farmer knows needs doing - but not every yard is set up to make it easy.

Two dairy farmers, John Bourke from Thurles, Co. Tipperary and Orla McEniry from Cahir, Co. Tipperary, say that changing say that changing their setup has made hoof care faster, safer, and far more effective.

Both farms have installed Inspect 4 rollover crates in recent years, and while the equipment is the same, their reasons - and the results - tell two very relatable stories.

“We were running 8–9% lame… now we’re at about 1%” - John Bourke, Rathcunikeen Dairy

John Bourke and his brother milk around 370-380 cows on a greenfield site at Rathcunikeen Dairy.

Over the years, lameness became one of the biggest headaches on the farm.

“Our main culling feature was lameness,” John said.

At one point, they were seeing 8-9% (about 15 cows) lame cows annually.

“To go from culling 8% down to about 1%, that's nearly four cows, like,” he added.

The Bourkes had used several types of crates, but all needed two people to operate and were awkward to work with - and none gave the level of safety or control John wanted.

That changed when John saw a rollover crate in action on his own farm.

“I saw the control and I said, 'that’s the job for us',” he explained.

The crate he installed now lifts, restrains, and provides access to all four feet in under 21 seconds, which means jobs that once took time, effort, and two people can now be done safely by one person in minutes.

John said: “You’d have a cow up in less than a minute. Up, done, and gone."

He also explained that the Bourkes can now take off the bandages after the hoof parer is gone, thanks to the rollover crate.

"And you’re not down with a knife, waiting for a kick," he said.

Because the cow is handled smoothly and securely, John says there is far less stress on the animal, which makes the whole process easier and more predictable.

Early intervention has been the biggest change.

“Just say you see two cows lame - there’s probably another two that could do with a look," he explained.

The reduction in antibiotics has followed naturally.

“You’re able to keep injections out of the herd," John said.

"The quicker you treat them, the less trouble you have with antibiotics and registers.”

For day-to-day work, the crate has also become a versatile, multi-purpose unit on the farm - used for hoof trimming, teat sealing, dosing, tagging, and treating warts throughout the year.

For John, the overall benefit is simple: “There’s lots of benefits.

“If you don’t like doing it, you’re never going to do it” – Orla McEniry, Co. Tipperary

On the McEniry farm, Orla milks 200–220 cows with her father. Before getting a rollover crate, hoof care was a job neither of them looked forward to.

Orla said: “We had a standard crate where you lifted each leg individually, and the front ones were always a problem.

“When you don’t like doing the front feet, you’re never going to do them.”

The result? Lame cows didn’t get looked at quickly.

"The longer you leave it, the bigger the problem gets," she said.

The Inspect 4 Rollover Crate changed that immediately.

“Now if I see a cow, I just divert her straight in and do her there and then," Orla said.

"The quicker you deal with the problem, the quicker the cow heals.”

According to the Co. Tipperary farmer, being able to check all four feet at once is one of the biggest advantages.

“With one lame foot, there’s usually something on another foot you wouldn’t have spotted. Now you can see everything in one go," she said.

Orla and her father also use the setup for teat sealing heifers and other routine tasks - again making it a genuinely multi-purpose unit rather than something that only gets used for lameness.

“For safety, it’s brilliant," Orla explained.

Time savings are significant for the McEniry farm.

“Before, it could take an hour just to get a cow into the crate," she said.

"Now you could do five or six in an hour with two of us.”

When asked what she’d say to a farmer half-thinking about it, Orla doesn’t hesitate:

"In the long run it pays for itself. It just makes life easier,” she said.

A Shift Toward Earlier Treatment

Both John and Orla say the real win is simple: they can get to lame cows sooner, deal with more feet in less time, and do it all with a lot less stress and risk than before.

Small issues like stones, white line problems or early bruising can be dealt with straight away.

Fewer cases escalate. Culling for lameness drops. Antibiotic use comes down.

And the job becomes one that farmers actually want to do, instead of put off.

For Orla, it’s about ease and routine:“If you’re half-thinking about it — just bite the bullet. It makes everything easier,” she said.

If you would like to see the crate in action, you can also arrange a full demo where we walk you through the system and show exactly how it works on farm.