With winter fast approaching it is time for us think about our Winter Housing facilities. Housing animals is one of the most important and stressful times of the year. It is essential the all housing facilities are in proper working order and safe for the winter ahead. Now is the time to inspect our cubicles and penning ahead of the winter season. The most important aspects to check are:
- Water: Are all you drinkers working? Clean out all tanks and drinkers to ensure they are clean and working properly and there are no broken or blocked parts. Make sure there are no leaks around the shed.
- Clamps: Are all your cubicle clamps in order. Tighten all the clamps and ensure they are not missing any bolts.
- Mats: Ensure all your mats are clean and secured properly and free from any cracks before animals are housed this year.
- Gates: Ensure all gates and barriers are hanging correctly and that no damage has occurred to fixings during the busy summer months.
- Disinfect: Make sure you power hose and disinfect your shed before housing animals this winter to reduce the spread of disease
- Make sure you have emptied your slatted tank and agitation points are checked for damage and securely locked
- Make sure you have sufficient space for the number of cattle that you have to house. Know the allowable areas required per animal depending on the size of the animal to be housed.
- Make sure all lights are working inside and outside your shed.
- Ensure you have treated all livestock for parasites before housing.
- Ensure there is correct ventilation in the shed to reduce the spread of disease
- Most important is that the operator has a safe working environment
If all these things are in place you are well on your way to being ready to house your animals this winter. If you realise that all these things are not in place now is the time to act to ensure you will be ready to house your animals in time for winter.
Remember when getting your shed ready to house livestock it is important that you have safety on the top of your mind. If you see hangers/clamps/bolts/etc. that are not in proper working order then don’t take the risk that they will be ok, make sure all repairs happen before animals are housed to reduce the chance of accidents.
If you need to repair or replace any items in your shed or if you simply need to add more penning/cubicles for added stock then please do not hesitate to contact us on 021-7334066 or email us on info@odonovaneng.ie
