[Changes in claw and leg health and hair cortisol concentration in dairy cows during the transition from tie-stall to free-stall housing - A study of a medium-sized farm].

Objective: Claw health and carpal and tarsal lesions were assessed in a dairy herd during the transition from a tie-stall to a free-stall barn. The stress associated with the change in housing was also evaluated.

Materials And Methods: The initial size of the herd was 57 dairy cows, which were evaluated 4 times, 4-5 months apart, in a hoof-trimming chute.