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Feet First® Swine Locomotion Scoring System

Locomotion Scoring is a system used to assess lameness based on the observation of sows standing and walking. This system is intuitive and easy to learn and implement. 

Use of locomotion scoring is effective for early detection of foot disorders and lesions, monitoring prevalence of lameness in a herd, comparing the incidence and severity of lameness between herds and identifying individual sows for functional claw trimming.

Locomotion Score
Description

0: Sow moves easily with little inducement. She is comfortable on all her feet.

1: She moves relatively easy, but visible signs of lameness are apparent in at least one leg. She is reluctant to bear weight on that leg but still moves easily from site to site in the barn.

2: Lameness is involved in one or more limbs. The sow exhibits compensatory behaviors such as dipping her head or arching her back.

3: There is a real reluctance to walk and bear weight on one or more legs. It is difficult to move her from place to place on the farm.

This locomotion scoring system was developed by the Feet First® team. It uses a simple 0 to 3 scale to assess the severity of lameness in sows. Observations should be made on a flat surface and under conditions where the sow is not stressed. Sows instinctively hide signs of lameness when they feel threatened.

Feet First® Locomotion Videos

Locomotion scoring is easy to learn and implement. Watch this educational video series to learn more.