Feature: Take good care of your barn when you do a temporary shutdown
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
The more meticulous you are in cleaning your barn, the less deterioration and disease you will have to deal with when you want to get started again
by PAUL LUIMES
A producer may have a number of reasons for deciding to shut down a barn temporarily. With the market sitting as it is, perhaps a temporary shutdown and selling the corn you have stored for the hogs would result in lower losses. If you have ever considered doing a depopulation/repopulation, a strong argument could be made for doing one now. Perhaps you will not be in a huge rush to repopulate and would like to keep the barn shut down for a while.
Whatever the case, you definitely want to make sure the barn is going to be in shape and ready to go when the time is appropriate. Having to face a significant expense of fixing water lines, feeders, penning, crates, stalls and electrical equipment could inhibit you from getting started again.
The same things that can cause your barn to deteriorate when it is full can do so when it is empty, unless they are taken care of. This is especially true when you shut down the ventilation. So what will cause deterioration?
Organic matter. Organic matter, whether it is feed, dust or manure, provides the perfect environment for many destructive forces. Bacteria that find their utopia in organic matter produce many acids, like lactic acid, which can damage metals and even concrete. Urine, when mixed with feces, produces high levels of ammonia, whose corrosiveness need not be explained to hog farmers. So take the time to be meticulous about removing all organic matter from the barn, including the pits.
Of course, safety here is of paramount importance. Never enter a pit without an appropriate self-contained breathing apparatus and a working hydrogen sulphide alarm, and never work alone.
Empty feed bins, augers and feeders of all feed. Don't forget to clean ventilation intakes and fan outlets as well. Take the time necessary to get all those hard-to-reach nooks and crannies where the organic matter builds up, for it is there that the damage will occur.
Make sure your tools (piglet processing, etc.) are also cleaned of organic matter, disinfected and stored away properly. It is a good idea to have a second person inspect the washing to make sure that no organic matter is left.
Good inspection tools for getting at the hard-to-reach places are a flashlight and a probe, like a screwdriver, After removing all organic matter, disinfect the barn with an appropriate disinfectant (see the back of the Canadian Quality Assurance (CQA)® manual for a list of approved cleaners and disinfectants).
Water. If the shutdown is going to be for a while, it is probably not a bad idea to empty the water lines, especially over winter in a non-heated barn. Perhaps you could take this opportunity to flush the lines of any build-up. After opening each line, flush it with high-pressure water to dislodge any organic matter that may have been building up over time. Then fill the lines with an appropriate cleaner (see the back of the CQA® manual for a list of approved water line cleaners).
Follow the manufacturer's recommended procedure, making sure to flush with plenty of water when done. Clean or replace all proportioners, filters, nozzles, nipple drinkers and water bowls. If the shutdown is going to be short-term, the water can be left on, but you should make sure there are no drips or leaks. If it is going to be for longer, or the barn may freeze, the lines should be properly drained but then re-closed.
It is very important that, when a barn is empty, it is properly dried. Humidity provides the perfect environment for moulds and bacteria to thrive, for some viruses to survive and rust to form.
Ventilation and/or heat should be used as required to keep the barn as dry as possible. Pay meticulous attention to this immediately after cleaning and disinfecting.
Vermin. Another reason for removing organic matter, especially feed, completely is that it will attract rodents which can become very destructive of insulation, wiring and wood. Even after the barn has been entirely cleaned, maintain an aggressive rodent control program to keep the vermin population under control.
Air. During dry weather, it is not a bad idea to run the ventilation system from time to time. There are no established criteria by which to judge how much is appropriate, but Harry Huffman, a leading Ontario ventilation expert, recommends one air change per day. Certainly, if any manure is left in the pits, even with no animals in the barn, there should be a minimum of half an air change per hour, otherwise you risk a build-up of ammonia and methane gases.
Other useful steps. This is also a good time to clean out the medicine refrigerator. If you have a good idea of when you plan to re-stock, you can get rid of all material that would have expired by that date anyway. And get rid of all associated garbage. Sharps containers should be properly disposed of, too.
Greasing any parts requiring such maintenance (bearings, cart axles, and the like) will help ensure that they are still free to rotate when needed again. Any repairs that may need to be done are much easier to manage without pigs in the barn.
Refilling. If cobwebs have formed and more dust has settled, it would be appropriate to re-clean and disinfect the barn before refilling. In order to take full advantage of your labour, when it comes time to refill the barn, bring in replacement gilts through an isolation facility and maintain a tight biosecurity protocol.
Before and during the cleaning out, and certainly before bringing in new stock, it would be very appropriate to discuss your cleaning and re-stocking protocol with your veterinarian.
Key point. If a barn has been emptied of animals, do not delay in cleaning it out properly. Every day this is left undone is going to make it more difficult to clean and will cost you significantly in terms of deterioration. The more meticulous you are in cleaning, the less deterioration and disease you will have to deal with when you want to get started again. BP
Paul Luimes, Ph.D., is a professor at Ridgetown Campus and Adjunct Professor, Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Guelph.