July 2026 – Maintenance Time!

As the workload eases at this time of year for both autumn and spring calving herds, it is important to use this time to review both housing and calving environments, which for autumn calving herds will be needed shortly. Review sheds to ensure that any environment your animals will come in contact with for the winter is fit for purpose.

Make a list of what repairs need to be done: roof, cubicles, mats, brisket boards, concrete yards, feed barriers, slats, gutters, drains, gates. It’s potentially a long list but don’t let this overwhelm you, some might only need minor repairs, and it will be worth your while doing it now when the weather is good and workload is quieter, for a less stressful wintertime.

Think back to last housing season, what maintenance did you promise to do when you had more time?  Now is the time!

While these problems individually may appear minor, when they are all added together, they dramatically increase the risk of a cow getting mastitis, becoming lame, pneumonia and other diseases, as damp and dirty environments provide the perfect environment for infectious bugs to multiply.

The recommended cleaning and disinfection procedure for sheds

This is an urgent task for autumn calving herds because for this procedure to be successful, sheds need adequate time livestock-free (minimum 3 months) to dry out properly, to minimise the risk of pathogens being carried over from the previous calving season.

• All dried faeces and other dirt should firstly be removed from the walls, floors, crevices and rails of the pens by power washing, before applying the disinfectant. This is an important step as the presence of dirt will prevent the disinfectant from working properly. Most pathogens, but especially those that cause cryptosporidiosis (i.e. Cryptosporidium parvum) can survive dehydration when in dried faeces, so any faeces remaining from the previous year’s calves need to be removed.
• It is recommended to use a disinfectant from the DAFM-approved disinfectant list, and where there is a history of cryptosporidiosis on the farm, particular disinfectants need to be used e.g. amine-based, p-chloro-m-cresol, hydrogen peroxide with peracetic acid  or 3% hydrogen peroxide.
• All surfaces should be thoroughly coated with an effective disinfectant.  Please note the contact time for disinfectants is extremely important. For example, for many of the commercial disinfectants to work against C. parvum they need 2 hours of contact time (when applied to the clean surface with no organic matter). Check whichever product you are using and allow the recommended contact time.
• Apply a final rinse with water and leave the shed to dry.
• Once dry, the houses and pens should be left empty of livestock for at least 3-4 months. This last point is critical to the control and prevention of cryptosporidiosis as the lack of moisture is important in inactivating C. parvum oocysts.

C. parvum is also a highly infectious disease of humans and is especially dangerous for young children, immunocompromised individuals, and the elderly. Humans become infected through contact with infected animals and through ingestion of contaminated food and water. Farmers should be very careful when disposing of slurry and dung from calves that have been infected with C. parvum. Slurry and dung containing oocysts (the immature infectious stage of C. parvum) can contaminate surface and ground water. If this water is used as a source of drinking water, then there is every likelihood that humans will get cryptosporidiosis. Prevent surface and ground water contamination by only spreading slurry and dung on land during those times of the year allowed by national regulations, not spreading immediately before or after rain or on fields with a large slope and not spreading within 10m of a ditch or stream.

Last month saw the return of the CalfCare summer event series, Summer Sets the Standard, delivered in conjunction with the Teagasc DairyBeef500 Programme and supported by Volac Milk Replacers Ireland Ltd (Feed For Growth), meat processors and dairy co-ops in the regions. The events focused on practical ways to keep calves healthy and performing throughout the summer, from birth through to grazing. Farmers were reminded of the importance of building a strong immune system through good colostrum management, nutrition and vaccination, while also reducing disease exposure through good hygiene and biosecurity. The sessions also covered calf performance at grass, rumen development, managing stressful events such as weaning and transport, and preparing calves for housing. Key health challenges discussed included summer scour syndrome, pneumonia, coccidiosis, parasites and clostridial diseases, with an emphasis on controlling the controllables and getting the basics right to give calves the best possible start.