Dairy cow and cattle farming: Cowshed cleaning and disinfection

With professional cleaning equipment, suitable cleaning agents and the right approach, hygienic results can be achieved in cattle farming and on dairy farms - without the time needed and labour costs getting out of hand.

Protecting the health and well-being of animals as well as increasing profits. These are the aims of cowshed cleaning in dairy and cattle farming. In addition to hygiene in milking parlours and calving pens, it is also important to efficiently clean the cowsheds, i.e. the areas where the animals spend most of their lives. This includes pens and outdoor areas for both growing and adult animals..

Why is cowshed cleaning so important in dairy and cattle farming?

Efficient cowshed cleaning reduces germs and lowers the risk of diseases. This is crucial for the welfare of the animals, but also for the farm’s profits. After all, healthy animals provide a better produce. In addition, they’ll need a vet visit less often and less medication.

When is it time to clean a cowshed?

Some elements of cowshed cleaning need to be done several times a day, others only as needed or when the opportunity arises.

Equipment and cleaning products for cowshed hygiene

Even today, brooms and shovels are still used to clean cowsheds in cattle and dairy farming. If a sweeper and a high-pressure cleaner are also available, the farm is fully equipped for all cleaning tasks.

Deep cleaning as needed

For each deep cowshed cleaning, including the compartments (pens), the animals must have left the area - especially in cattle farming - otherwise the work would be too dangerous for the staff. This also applies to outside compartments.

In cattle and dairy farming, deep cowshed cleaning - with the exception of feedlot rearing - is usually not carried out by clearing out a whole pen, but doing it pen by pen, while there are still animals in the other compartments.

Caution and consideration are the top priority. To avoid creating a clumsy environment, the pressure cleaner should not be placed directly in the cowshed. It is better to work with a long pressure hose. This minimises the noise in the cowshed.

A high-pressure hose on an automatic hose reel with automatic return is recommended. This reduces the risk of tripping. A surface cleaner is recommended for cleaning larger floor areas. This prevents splashing - which means less disturbance for the animals.

Task order during deep cowshed cleaning

1. Sweep walls and barriers
   Dust creates breeding grounds for germs and fungi and can lead not only to diseases in the animals in the barn, but also to respiratory diseases in humans. Therefore, cobwebs and dust on walls and ceilings are swept off first, and in the case of warm barns, the windows and window reveals are swept off as well.
   
   
2. Rough cleaning of the pens
   When the pens are empty, the first step is to remove the rough debris, that is, everything that has not been trodden into the crevices in the floor, with a broom and shovel.
   Mucking out is done in cowsheds with bedding. This is most efficiently done with a farm tractor.
   
   
3. Dampen the cowshed
   Now thoroughly dampen the dirt, including on the walls if necessary. A pressure cleaner is suitable for this. A soaking agent can be added to the water, which dissolves dried excrement and reduces cleaning time and water consumption.
   The dirt should absorb the water as much as possible. It is not a good idea to apply the water with too high a pressure, and also not too much at once. This would cause large drops to run off the dirt rather than soaking it. If necessary, the process should be repeated until the dirt is soaked through.
   
   
4. Cleaning with the pressure cleaner
   This is followed by thorough cleaning of the partitions, walls and floor with a pressure cleaner. Alkaline cleaning agents can be applied with a backpack sprayer or a cup foam lance. The cup foam lance has the advantage that it can be easily connected to the lance of the pressure cleaner. It also delivers a particularly thick, adhesive foam with a powerful cleaning effect. The foam is then rinsed off again.
   The water drains off through the slats. In barns without slatted floors, it is recommended to use a surface cleaner with automatic suction, which collects the dirty water and drains it off in a controlled manner. It is connected to the high-pressure cleaner.
   To clean sensitive components, it is useful to reduce the pressure of the pressure cleaner. This is most convenient if the gun has a pressure setting. Very sensitive parts need to be cleaned with a damp cloth.
   Cleaning is complete when the surface of the floor, walls and barriers is clean again and the wastewater runs clear.
   
   
5. Disinfect as required
   The pens for young calves who arrive fresh from their calf hutch into group housing should be disinfected after being cleaned with a pressure cleaner. For this, the pens need to be completely dry.

Specialised cleaning requirements: calving and isolation pens as well as calf huts and milking parlours

Some areas in cattle and dairy farming require special attention for cleaning to best protect both human and animal health.

These include calving and isolation pens for sick animals. These should be as sterile as possible before a calving cow or a sick animal enters. The sensitive calves make for high demands on biosecurity. Therefore, after rough cleaning with a broom, calving pens should ideally be cleaned with a hot water pressure cleaner. Under certain circumstances, the use of disinfectants is also recommended in this form of animal husbandry.

The milking area also requires special consideration when cleaning in cattle and dairy farming. This is because the safety standards of human food is affected in this area.

Don’t forget to clean around the cowshed

The environment around the cowshed also has an influence on biosecurity. Therefore, the area around the barn, the walkways, the yard area and especially the area in front of silos and feed stores should be swept regularly so that rodents and other disease vectors don’t find their food there.

Feed carts should be completely emptied after each feeding to prevent mould from forming and flies from settling there. In addition, feed carts should be cleaned every few weeks with a pressure cleanercleaner.

Water barrels and feed troughs in the pasture must also be kept clean. A battery-powered pressure cleaner is suitable for this purpose.

If equipment and machines are used in lots of different barns, these should also be cleaned to prevent cross-contamination. Simple implements such as brooms and shovels are best kept within one cowshed environment. Silos and machinery used on the farm must also be cleaned regularly. Cowshed cleaning in dairy and cattle farming is completed by cleaning the outside areas and equipment.