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Barn Cleaning Question

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leanin' H

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I have a couple loafing sheds that I convert into calving sheds each year. This year I had a battle with scours in 2 calves. Thankfully i won the battle and both little bovines are doing pretty good now. But that brings me to my question. Though I gave serious thought to putting up a for sale sign and moving, I have instead decided to clean both sheds out. I had them bedded with straw prior to the scour problem. I have scattered powdered lime on everything and plan to haul everything away down to the dirt. Just wondering what ya'll might suggest I do to "Try" to put the smack down on any remaining bacteria? Thanks.
 
H, We have gone to a 2 step program to fight scours at out home place. We vaccinate the cows with Scourguard 4-K and then we use Calfguard oral vaccine when we weigh and tag.
This place was a dairy for 40 years before we bought it, and it has some real interesting "bugs".
We have much better luck calving on the big pastures in the hills.
 
Vaccination, nutrition, mineral program, clean and lime or nitrogen fertilizer to disinfect.

All else fails, go back to goats. :wink:
 
gcreekrch said:
Vaccination, nutrition, mineral program, clean and lime or nitrogen fertilizer to disinfect.

All else fails, go back to goats. :wink:
Click to expand...

Nutrition = CHECK. Mineral program = CHECK. Clean and lime on the dirt = CHECK. Vaccination = NEXT YEAR!

Any other thoughts on disinfecting a shed with a dirt floor? :D
 
Let me guess, the youngest ones were the ones that got sick and they were mixed with the older ones? Best advice I can give is to keep moving heavy cows to fresh ground and leave the older calves behind. You may not be set up that way though if they all need shelter at the same time. If all else fails calve on grass where you don't need a shed. :wink:
 
Have you indroduced any new animals in in the last year? If you are on a good mineral program it should help with the scours. Scour problems come with new animals and or with the birds migrateing up from the south. Home raised cattle should be used to the bugs in their home enviroment. If you have a scour problem we had good luck with a product for scours in pigs, I think the name was Scour halt. I also vacinate every calf in the first 24 hours with BO BAC 2X.
 
Am I the only one that uses bleach water? About 5-10% bleach in pump up hand sprayers or 25 gallon electric sprayers. I use that to spray the ground where cattle lay around, water tanks, feed troughs, rails they can reach to lick or blow snot on, etc. I try to do this between batches of light calves. Not sure if it helps, but it makes me feel like I've done all I can do. Bleach and sunshine makes a pretty good disinfectant.
 
Yep I go in every year and spray the calving barn with bleach. Never had a problem, just trying to jump it before it gets a chance to jump me.

Take Texans advice, his deal is a cheap way to add another layer of protection
 
Texan said:
Am I the only one that uses bleach water? About 5-10% bleach in pump up hand sprayers or 25 gallon electric sprayers. I use that to spray the ground where cattle lay around, water tanks, feed troughs, rails they can reach to lick or blow snot on, etc. I try to do this between batches of light calves. Not sure if it helps, but it makes me feel like I've done all I can do. Bleach and sunshine makes a pretty good disinfectant.
Click to expand...


Evidentally you are.

Pens in the shed. Animals in when it's to cold. Out when as the weather permits. Cleaning out pens between critters and using lime.

When I was younger we calved cows in a huge barn that they were all free in. No straw just dirt.
 

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