Don’t leave it to the last minute; get that calf shed cleaned out for spring now – Agriland

With farmers already starting to dry off some of their herd. It wont be long until the milking season is over and cows are off on their holidays.

Generally, spring-calving herds aim to calve down in around the start of February. However, in many cases, calving always starts sooner than that, with many cows calving in mid-January.

December 1 is just around the corner. So, for many farms, you are looking at a six-to-eight week window before calving starts.

The last thing you want to be doing is cleaning out a calf shed a few days before calving. Get ahead of yourself and put it on your to-do list over the coming weeks.

Depending on how many cows you are milking and the level of help you have on the farm, a window of opportunity could present itself over the next while to tackle the calf shed and get it organised for spring.

In terms of cleaning the shed, ensure all of the dung from the shed is removed and stored in a dung stead, where any run-off can be collected and stored.

The power-washer should be brought into action and the entire shed should be thoroughly cleaned from head to toe.

Once the shed is washed, open up the door(s) of the shed and allow it to dry out fully. The last thing we want is to be letting calves into a damp shed next spring.

Once the shed has been allowed to dry out, we can then look to getting the individual and group pens set up and ready for use.

Its no harm to clean out the water troughs now and again before calves are being housed. As well as that, getting any calf rearing equipment cleaned, and replaced if broken, should also be on the to-do list over the next few weeks.

It is important farmers keep in mind the importance of good ventilation in their calf sheds.

Over the course of the year, dust particles or hay and straw that are stored in the sheds can block up the air outlets in the Yorkshire boarding or in the vented sheeting in the shed.

Therefore, it is important that these outlets are clear and allow for air to come through unaffected.

If the warm air, that builds up in the shed, has nowhere to escape then animal health problems are more than likely going to occur which will have a negative impact on animal performance.

The importance of removing stale air, odour, pathogens and viruses by allowing the inward movement of fresh, clean air into a shed cannot be underestimated.

Therefore, take the time to inspect your calf shed to see if any air outlets are blocked up or if any alterations need to be made to increase or decrease the amount of air coming into the shed.

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Don't leave it to the last minute; get that calf shed cleaned out for spring now - Agriland