The regular cleaning of your calf shed is important in order to keep your calves healthy and to obtain maximum performance.
To achieve top performance from your calves and ensure they stay healthy, they need to be in a warm and dry environment.
Calves need a dense bed of dry straw which allows them to nest and maintain body temperature.
The ideal air temperature range is between 15-20° – which is almost impossible in March.
But using calf jackets and deep beds of straw can help calves to regulate their body temperature and stay warm.
Straw
The only way to keep the bed of straw dry is to keep the straw fresh, and clean out the shed regularly.
Calves lying on a wet bed of straw will struggle to maintain their body temperature, which can lead to increased sickness.
How often the shed is cleaned out will depend on several factors. To check if your shed needs cleaning, use the knee test method.
This involves simply kneeling in the straw bed; if your knees are wet, the bed needs fresh straw or to be cleaned out.
Calf shed cleaning
It is important when cleaning out the calf shed that all organic material is removed. This means you are starting with a completely new bed.
Once the shed has been cleaned out, lime should be spread to kill any bacteria that may be present in the shed.
On some farms water is used to wash down the floor after it has been cleaned out – this is not advised.
Bacteria multiple easier in wet conditions, so by adding moisture you are helping the bacteria to grow.
Using water also decreases the temperature in the shed, making it harder for you to achieve the correct temperature for the calves.
Cleaning out the shed and spreading lime is sufficient. Powerwashing or stream-cleaning of sheds should have been done before the calving season started.