Preventing Disease in the Calf Shed

Disease prevention starts at the entrance of the calf shed; infection can spread via wellies of the people entering the shed. A good starting point and initial line of defence is having a footbath where wellies are dipped each time someone enters the shed. A footbath can be in different forms including a bucket or a disinfectant mat. Ideally, if a bucket is being used, it should have a lid to prevent rainwater entering it and in summer months, reduce the risk of evaporation. Similarly, the lid will prevent contamination of the disinfectant. The key features of a footbath include easily visible at the entrance of the shed and identifiable to what its purpose is on the farm. It is important that disinfectant is made up to the correct dilution as instructed on the packet and to ensure the effectiveness, the disinfectant should be regularly changed as necessary.  

Another biosecurity measure is considering who is entering the calf shed and their risk factor for spreading infection to your calves from potentially other farms or livestock markets. If calves are being sold off farm, depending on practicalities, locating these calves nearest the entrance to shed or in a different shed can reduce the need for the buyer to walk through the other calves and particularly, the younger calves that are highest risk of picking up an infection. For visitors like buyers or vets entering the shed, is there an opportunity to have boots that are stored in the shed for them to use? Reducing the risk of infection entering the shed from external sources is vitally important and these small measures, that are not costly, can help prevent disease.