BARN SNITATION AND DISINFECTION

Sanitation refers to disposal of waste including refuse (Waste feed, bedding material etc) and screta (dung
and urine). The cleaning help to preserve the health of the animal and indirectly help to preserve the
health of the a people who keeps them and live upon the product of these animals cleanliness implies not
only freedom from visible dirt, dust and filthy condition but also freedom from diseases germ. A good
husbandry man should pay attention to maintain sanitary condition in cattle yard and stalls. The main
objectives of barn sanitation are:
 Prevention of disease
 Promotion of health of animal to maintain the hygienic condition of animal products

The factors affecting the maintenance of barn sanitation are as follows:

1. Location and quality of animal sheds and stalls: The building should be established at the
elevation than the surrounding for facilitates drainage. The foundation soil should be hard.
The floor, the wall and the roof must be cemented to prevent dampness.
2. Light and ventilation: Sunlight and heat acts as a powerful disinfectant. Direct sun rays
kills many germs and mitigate the action of others by their oxidizing and desiccating
properties. In the livestock farm there must be provision of constant supply of fresh air and
replacement of foul air by managing proper ventilation.
3. Water supply: There must be permanent source of clean drinking water. Water is used for
cleaning sheds and washing the animals. Boiling water and stem acts as disinfectants.
4. Disposal of waste: the refuse and animal screta attract abundant of flies. It also acts as
breeding place of flies and other insects. Screta (Faeces and urine) containing large number
of pathogen. Contaminated food and water of sick animals and dead carcass are source of
contamination to the healthy herds. Therefore, proper care should be given to dispose these
wastes in proper way. Burning, deep burial of dead animals and spreading of lime is safe.
Dung, urine and bedding materials should be disposed in compost pit, biogas, and
sewerage disposal system so that the shed hygiene is not disturb.
5. Healthy animal: Sick and suspected animal should be housed separately in isolation pen.
Disease is usually carried from one animal to another or from one place to another. Disease
like TB, RP, and anthrax are directly spread through contact.
6. Cleanliness of the workers and utensils: Animal attendant and workers can become the
source of contaminated in cattle shed. They should maintain personal hygiene and shed
hygiene. They should be provided with clean uniform. There must be provision of soap,
and towel in the shed. The utensil should properly clean and disinfected. Regular cleaning,
washing, scrubbing, scarffing and dusting is essential to remove the pathogenic organism
during out break of contagious disease, burning of straw, bedding material and other dry
refuse should be practiced.

Disinfection
Disinfection means destruction of pathogenic microorganism from a place to place so that place
becomes free from infection. Disinfectant, germicides, or antiseptic are the substance able to kill
organism and their spore at appropriate concentration.
 The various chemical disinfectants used for shed cleaning. A good disinfectant should have
following characteristic or quality; such as:
1. Highly potential at ordinary temperature
2. Non-injurious and non corrosive
3. Mon-toxic to man and animal
4. It should be stable
5. Readily soluble in water
6. Free from undesirable odor and color.
7. Readily available and economic
8. Easy to handle and transport

Type of disinfectant

Sunlight Heat Chemicals

Hot air Hot water Steam Fire

Acids Alkalies Compounds

Boric acids Sodium hydroxide
Carbolic acids Potassium hydroxide
Lime solution
Hydrogen peroxide
Potassium permanganate
Ca hydrochloride
Mercuric chloride
Sodium per borate
Copper salt

Classification of disinfectants:
Disinfectant may be broadly classified into two groups:
1. Non chemical
(A) Sunlight (B) Direct flame (C) Heat from different sources: most heat obtained from
boiling and steam (D) Free air access
 2. Chemical disinfectant are of three type
(A) Gaseous
 Sulphur dioxide gas
 Chlorine gas
 Formaldehyde gas
(B) Liquids
 Phenol
 Formalin
 Cresol
 Phenyl
(C) Solid
 Bleaching powder
 Quick lime

Following are the some disinfectant used in animal shed:

1. Hot water: If infective material such as clothing, instrument etc. are kept emerged in boiling
water most of the germs are get killed in about 10 minutes.
2. Sodium carbonate: It is mainly dissolve in boiling water and used as an effective cleaning agent
3. Chloride of lime: It is available in white powder form in market. 1kg of lime mixed with 25 liter
of water makes a very good deodorant.
4. Potassium permanganate: It is used dissolved in water and has little action as a disinfectant.
5. Mercuric chloride: In a solution of one thousand parts of water acts as strong gas disinfectant. It
should be used with great precaution
6. Lysol, Cresol or Phenol: In a 5 % solution, it is a good disinfectant
7.Formalin (Formaldehyde 40 %) As a 5 % solution in water, it is a good disinfectants chemical,
which help to clean the shed easily
8. Bleaching powder: It is also another good disinfectants chemical, which help to clean the shed
easily.

KEEPING RECORD IN DAIRY FARM

Kinds of records
Several kinds of records may be kept in a dairy farm. Some of them are more importance in the breeder of
purebred grade animals. Records of production should be kept by all dairymen. The important records,
which should be kept, are as follows:

Milk records Register

1. Economic feeding: Milk record is a guide to correct feeding. It enables feeding to be regulated
according to the quantity of milk produced by the cows. The yields of heavy milker may be
pushed up by generous feeding and feed given to the low producers reduced to the extent
necessary. Feeds account for over 60 % of the total cost of producing milk. Correct feeding avoids
wasteful expenditures and increases the profit of a dairyman.
2. Realising proper prices: The performance of the cows and their immediate parents are taken into
consideration by purchasers, and people are willing to pay more for animals whose performance
are known. When the cows without any milk records are purchased, their capacity for production
has to be judged by external characters at the purchaser’s risk.
3. Keeping touch with cows: Milk and feed records keep the dairyman in touch with the individual
animals. Fall in milk yield of any individual cow is noted and thereby the owner can readily note
the early stages of any ill heath of improper management of the animals concerned.
4. Registration in the central herd book: Persons interested in registration their cattle under the
central herd book can fulfill their wishes only when they have got such milk records.
5. Pedigree can be maintained: Pedigree is an important register for dairy cattle. To complete this
register it is compulsory task to enter individual milk yield regularly.
6. Selection of bulls: Milk recording enables breeders to select suitable bulls, whose dams are known
to be good milkers. By the help of this record, progeny testing of the bull is done.

Cattle Feed Register:

To know how much profit a cow is making, it is necessary to find out not only the production of cow but
also the amount of feed that she has consumed. It is also necessary, especially is large herd, to have some
form on which to put down the amount of feed that each cow should receive. It is almost impossible for
any individual to remember the amount of feed that should be given to each individual cow. Usually such
a record should be changed after every week or fortnight. This should be filled out according to the
production of the individual cow and should be fastened near the feed bin. The amount of grain mentioned
on the sheet should be carefully weighed at each feeding. The roughages need not be weighed at each
feeding but should weighed at least once a month so that some idea of the amount given is known.
Calf feeding requires somewhat different form since calves are fed whole milk, skim milk, grain
and hay. These can easily be made to conform to the conditions.
Breeding records: The servicing are recorded in two ways bull wise and cow wise. In the former, all cows
matted to a particular bull are recorded while in the latter all bulls that have served any particular cow are
noted down. The combination of both is essential ad it gives a cross check.
Cattle History and Pedigree sheet Register: Cattle history deals only about the life of a particular animal
viz., the name brand number, performance, disease suffered and the cause of disposal, or the reason of
death. Cattle pedigree sheet deals only about the history of ancestors of a particular animal.
Health record: It is desirable to have a record of the health of the cows in a herd. This includes a place for
the tuberculosis test, abortion test, and the general health, etc. Sometimes by a study of the health record
of an animal, the reason for an unexpected result may be found.
Calf register: when a calf is born, it is entered in this register. The register contains the calf’s tattoo or
notch number, its date of birth and sex, the weight at birth, etc. The calf register also furnishes the
information whether a particular calf was reared or culled out.
Financial record: Of all records maintained in a farm, the financial records such as cash book, stock book
are the most valuable register from the standpoint of profit and loss of any type of commercial dairy herd.

Service Register of cows

Name of the dairy farm------------------------------------------
Address------------------------------------------------------------
Breed---------------------------------------------------------------
Serial No Date of Date Time No Expected Date Date Weight Sex Remarks
No of last of of of date to to be of of the of
cow calving servic service bull calve dried calving calf the
s e calf

Office-in-charge

Calf Register
Name of the farm-----------------------------------
Address----------------------------------------------For the month of---------------------------2002

Serial no Date of Ear no. Sex of the Sire Dam Disposal Remarks
numbering calf

Office-in-charge
Feed Register
Name of the farm-------------------------------------------------- address--------------------------------------
For the month of ------------------------------------------2002
Number of cows Date Hay Silage Other feed

Grain ration

AM PM AM PM AM PM AM PM
 IDENTIFICATION OF FARM ANIMALS

The identification of an animal has to be established soon after its birth. It is desirable that an owner
should not only be able to identify each animal he owns but that should be able to prove identification to
satisfaction of others. For a small herd the naming of animal may serve the purpose to some extent, but
for large farms and with pure breed animals, it is always necessary to put some sort of identification
marks on each animal. It obviates disputes over lost, stolen or strayed stock; it is essential for accurate
recording and it saves the farmer, manager and attendant from mistakes, which are otherwise likely to
occur. The most common methods of identifying farm animals are branding, tattooing, ear notching and
ear-tagging.

Branding
It involves searing a number, letters, designs or a combination of these on the skin with a hot iron
or with chemicals. Branding is most suited for making cattle, buffaloes, horse and camels. Calves should
be branded by the time they are about one year old. A sunny day in the non-fly season should be chosen
for branding animals.
Sets of branding irons are available in the market. These comprise figures 1 to 9 and 0, and letters
A to Z. If the part to be heated is of copper, it will be better as it retains heat better and hair does not stick
to it as to iron. Same branding irons can be used for hot and chemical branding, though, for the latter,
branding irons with a shallow groove on the contact surface of letter or figure better. Irons can be heated
in a portable forge kept burning by coal or wood. For branding chemically, ready-made branding inks are
available in market. Both methods are equally effective if carried out properly, though chemical branding
is less permanent and bad if carried out by an inexperienced man. For branding, animals should be well
controlled, preferably by casting and tying their legs.
If hot iron branding is practiced the desired iron is heated to bright red, but not white heat, and is
applied to skin on sides of thighs with light pressure for not more than three seconds. A little mustard oil
in which zinc oxide is mixed may be smeared over the burns to encourage healing. For chemical
branding, the iron should be dipped in branding inks, extra ink drained off the iron and the wet iron
applied to skin.
The figures should be big enough to be read at some distance and should be separated by at least
2.5 cm from each other to prevent sloughing of skin. Generally, the serial number of the animal is
branded on the milking side, i.e. on left thigh and the quarter number (month, and year of birth) and herd
symbol are put on the right thigh. A type of code is used for putting quarter number; the first or first two
digits of brand indicate month of birth while the last digit indicates the last figure of the year of birth

Tattooing
It consists of piercing outlines of desired number of figures on the skin indicate ears and then
incorporating a black vegetable pigment into these punctures. The various letters and figures are out-lined
by steel points, each of which carries a small amount of colored paste into the subcutaneous tissues and
cartilage of ear. These pastes contain insoluble carbon (black) or green pigments that are inert to tissues.
Tattoo figures cannot be read without handling and close inspection of the animal and the marks are not
easily legible when imprinted on pigmented skin. When tattooing is properly done, the figures are clear
and somewhat permanent, though often marks fade out in course of time. For this reason, tattooing is
most suited for marking newborn calves and pigs.
Tattooing sets comprising a tattooing forceps, tattooing ink and a series of letters and figures are
available in market. Using the equipment, the imprints are made conveniently on the inner side of the ear
avoiding ear veins ; in buffaloes and cattle with pigmented skins, it may be done on the undersurface of
the root of tail.
Tagging
Ear tagging: ear tags are of metal pieces with number or letters engraved on them. There are two
types of ear-tags, self-piercing tags and tags that require a hole in the ear made with a ear punch.
Generally, the tags are inserted within one-third of the way out from the base of the ear, generally on the
upper edge of the ear with number on top.
Number Tags: Some of the cattle owner prefer metal tags, large enough to be read at distance in
place of tattooing or ear tagging their cattle. The metal tags are fastened to neck chins. The objective of
this method is that, there is a chance that they may be lost.
Ear Notching:
Notches cut in the ears make a rather easy method to identify animals. A notch represents a
number depending on its location, whether in the top, bottom or end of ear, and which ear it is in.
Dairymen are not willing to disfigure the ears of their cattle in this way and they adopt some other
methods. The method is common in swine and sheep.

Brucellosis
Brucellosis or Bang’s disease is a Bang’s bacterial disease causes high economic losses. A disease known
as undulant fever, which affects human being, may be contracted from animals affected with brucellosis.
It caused by Brucella abortus. Abortion usually occurs in the last three months of pregnancy. Infection
mostly spread through consumption of infected feed and water contaminated with genital discharge of the
infected dam or aborted foetus.

Symptoms
The infected animals may abort or give birth to dead or week calf; this is the most commonly
observed symptom of brucellosis on the other hand, the birth may be normal, but the cow may fail to
expel the placenta after birth. Abortion usually takes place in the last part of the pregnancy period.
Animals that are infected often have higher than normal temperature at calving time. Milk production is
reduced. Heavily infected herds may have 50 per cent or more aborted or dead calves among first calf
heifers. Great care must be taken by persons coming in contact with animals infected with brucellosis to
avoid contracting undulant fever. The disease may be contracted from the consumption of non-pasteurized
milk produced by infected animals, and danger exists in handling newborn calves or aborted fetuses from
infected herds.
Prevention and control
Brucellosis finds its way into a herd through any of the following
 The purchase of infected or exposed animals
  Contact with a neighbor’s herd
 Exposure at live stock shows where an infected animal may be on exhibit
 livestock trucks that handle animals and that dragged on the place by carnivorous animals
such as dogs.
Brucellosis may be detected by having a veterinarian blood test the herd. If the disease is found to exist,
the recommended plans for eradication are; nating all caves between the ages of six and eight months that
are not infected. This is the only recommended plan for dairy cattle . Test and keep all reactors separate
from the herd and vaccinate the calves . since cows will generally produce normal calves after the second
calving , reactors may be kept , but should not be in the same area with heifers since they are carriers of
the disease .

Since brucellosis may crop up in any herd at any time , it is advisable for any cow herd owner to start a
program of calf hood vaccination as a preventive measure .

Marek’s Disease :
Mareck’s disease is primarly a disease of young growing fowls , caused by DNA virus but the cases are
recorded even after 30 weeks of age .

Symptoms :
The disease occurs on two forms
1. Acute form affecting 8-14 weeks old chicks , showing usual symptoms of leg weakness and
paralysis with sudden death and high mortality as high as 60 %. Most of the chicks die even before
showing any symptoms of the disease .
2. Classical forms ,affecting 16-20week old birds , usually showing palalysis of neckand legs with
mortality up to 20%, . The birds do not die in large number at a time , but one after another . Some
become weak and unproductive and remain as carries of the disease prevention & control .
As there no effective remedy for this disease , suitable preventive measures need to be taken . Vaccination
is one , and isolation is another . Sick birds should be isolated dead birds should be burnt or buried .
Disinfect the farm , with 1-2 %formalin ,the poultry house where the out break occurs should be kept
vacant for 40 days .

The disease spreads by way of air . The virus multiplies in the birds skin and is shed in to the
surroundings through tips of infected feathers saliva nasal wastings and faeces from diseased birds have
been founds to be infected . Poultry litter contaminated with infected material remains active up to 16
weeks . The virus remains active in the house dust for more than a year.

Hog Cholera( Swine Fever):

It is an acute highly infectious viral septicemia of pigs . Virus of swine fever is present in the blood and
body tissues of an infected animal, and is spread through the urine and faeces , as well as through nose
and mouth secretion s . Contaminated feed and water cause the infection which spreads through the hog’s
body by way of the digestive system .

Young pigs are more susceptible to the disease than are older hogs . The virus is usually introduced by
bringing new animals to the herd or by the carrying of virus to the farm on the shoes of attendants . It can
be spread also by trucks by birds , and by streams . Incubation period is usually from 3to 7 days .
Symptoms:

Infected animals first show fever and loss of appetite . Later the eyes becomes filled with a sticky
discharge , and the hogs prefer dark quarters . They loss weight and the under side of the neck and
abdomen may show dark red or purple coloration . Infected animals cough and have difficulty in
breathing .

Usually the first cases which appear are in acute form, and the animals die in three to seven days . Chronic
cases last longer . Some hogs do not die but make only partial recoveries .

Prevention :

There is no drug treatment for the disease , but some

Differences between layers and loafers of poultry breeds

Layers: rearing of birds for birds for egg purpose is known as layers. Even if one start
with good stock, invariably there will be some that do not grow well and ultimately turn
out to be poor layers. Such “loafers” in laying reduce the efficiency of flocks and often
remain continuous source of problem. Most poultry man try to maintain laying flocks at 60
to 80 % egg production. They want 60 to 80 eggs from each 100 hens each day. To do this
they must watch the flock closely and remove the non-layers. Culling is not a practice to
be done only once a year when the pullets are placed in the laying house. It is a continuous
process. Some culling should be done each week or month. The longer you leave the non-
layer in the flock the greater the loss in feed. The important characters, which should be
considered to distinguish good and poor layers, are:

Characters Layers Loafers

1.Condition of comb and The comb of layer is full, The comb of a non-layer is
wattles red and glossy. It is warm shrunken pale, dry and
because of good blood scaly.
 circulation

2.Brightness of eyes A good layer has large, Poor layers have small
prominent, and bright eyes sunken or dull eyes

3.Health and vitality Vigorous, active, good Weak, sluggish, undersized,

capacity lacking capacity.

4.Vent Large, smooth, moist, Small, puckered, dry, round

elliptical in shape

5.Pubc bones Thin, flexible, well spread Thick, hard, close together

6.Abdomen Soft, pliable, expanded, Contracted, firm, covered

covered with thin velvety
skin
Bleached vent, eye-ring, ear
7.Pigmentation lobe, beak, shanks
with thick, coarse skin
Yellow pigment in vent,
eye-ring, ear lobe, beak,
shanks

8.Moult Late, rapid Early, slow