Clean, hygienic housing is of utmost importance to give calves the best possible start in life, and to cows as well, to ensure profitable lactation.
Parasites causing coccidiosis and cryptosporidiosis in dairy can spread quickly and is very hard to get rid of. The life cycle of these parasites occurs both inside the host animal as well as in the external environment.
Remedies for preventing and treating these diseases are generally given in feed or drinking water to prevent acute cases and to limit economic loss. Prophylactic use is preferred because most damages occur before signs appear. The main goal of cleaning and disinfection, which kills parasites while they're in the external environment, is to break through the fecal-oral transmission of microorganisms and keep infection pressure low. Therefore, an effective cleaning and disinfection procedure is key to help fight against coccidiosis and cryptosporidiosis on your farm.
Step 1: REMOVE ALL MOVEABLE EQUIPMENT
Take all the removable equipment such as drinking buckets and food bowls out of the barn, and clean and disinfect all the equipment which has direct contact with the calves.
Step 2: DRY CLEANING
Remove all the bedding, feed, and manure. Shovels, brooms, and sweepers are best suited for this purpose.
Step 3: DETERGENT (Kenosan)
Foam the calf hutch, pens or boxes and apply the foam to all surfaces such as the walls, floors, ceilings, feed, and water systems. Pay attention to the instructions for the application time as well as the concentration of the detergent.
Step 4: MAIN CLEANING
Clean the calf hutch, pens, or boxes with a high-pressure cleaner: mechanical cleaning of (50-150 bar and 12-30 liter/minute) Wash all surfaces such as the walls, floors, ceilings, feed, and water systems. Use hot water if available (40°C) for faster and easier cleaning.
Step 5: RINSING
Rinse the calf hutch, pens, or boxes with cold water (high pressure of high-water flow) to remove the dirt particles and the chemicals.
Step 6: ALLOW TO DRY
Remove all the excess water from the calf hutch, pens or boxes and let it dry. Starting the disinfection in a dry environment is important to avoid diluting the product.
Step 7: ANTIPARASITIC DISINFECTION (Kenocox & Virocid)
Disinfect all the materials which have direct contact with the calves, especially products that are effective against viruses, bacteria, and endoparasites such as cryptosporidiosis and coccidiosis. All the surfaces must be disinfected including the walls, floors, ceilings, feed, and water systems. Let the calf housing dry properly. Rinse the feeders and drinkers before using them again.
Step 8: RE-BED CALVING AREA
Re-bed calving area with sufficient clean/ fresh bedding. Adding a dry powder (Optizorb) to help with moisture absorption ensures better housing and living conditions for the calves.
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