Clean your boots!!!!!!!!

[skcatlman]

I had the bull buyers go thru the pen with no problems and i had 1 here on friday he wanted to see some of the calves off the 2 yr olds i was selling. I told him i have various sizes of rubber boot covers for those who want to go into that pen. I had to go in to get the boot covers. I came back with the boot covers and he was walking thru my newborn pen So and asked him why he didn't wait he said " my calves don't have scours and i clean my boots " obviously not good enought. Now i have 3 calves with scours and have treated them this morning. If you are going to another farm and if you are asked to put in on boot covers do it. My cattle aren't used to your bugs and your cattle aren't used to mine. As you could carry the bugs from my place back to your cattle. Rubber boot covers only cost a couple of dollars and can save hundreds in treating sick calves. This just is a pet peeve of mine. I know it is part of selling bulls in late winter and spring but since i have bought the rubber boot covers this is the first time i have had an out break of scours other than one case earlier and it was nothing like this. I guess i am going to change my health protocall and make guys who come in to look at cattle put on boot covers before going to the cattle. Most of the time bull buyers who want to see calves are pretty serious and when i get them to put on the rubbers they think it is a good idea their boots stay clean. One goof and i have to start spending money and time unnessarily

 

[Dee]

I have a sign on my barn that says "let's keep it clean", and the plastic boot covers are right beside it. Did that a couple years ago, after I found out my AI tech was coming straight from a 3500 head dairy to my place. I am perhapse too picky about that kind of stuff, but I really don't want someone else's poop at my place, nor do I bring mine to theirs. I have also seen feeders load manure in the spreader, and then go get a scoop of feed for another pen. Makes me cringe. It's like eating food you found sitting on the seat of a port-a-potty.

 

[skcatlman]

I tried the plastic boot covers but they get pretty slippery when walking in the pen after a fresh snow on hard pack. That and the cost in the long run for me is less with the rubber boot covers. that and the rubbers can be washed in a mix of betadine and ammoinia. that can pretty much kill anything. I have found they work well for me.

 

[farmerjohn]

I don't like people to drive their trucks or trailers on my place for the same reason. The manure in the tire tracks carries germs............

 

[TJ]

I don't think you got scours from somebody not wearing plastic boots.

 

[mdmdogs3]

In the chicken business - we are very aware of disease and how it is transmitted
a year ago we had a repairman enter one house through the center door and about 2 weeks later we were carrying 200 birds a day out of that house (normal is 10-20). You could watch the disease spread from that center door out and away.
now when anyone enters our houses they not only wear plastic boot covers (slippery - so slow down) but if they regularly go to other chicken houses they also wear disposable coveralls, a face mask and hair net. The company also has them disenfecting their trucks before and after entering our farm.

so yes - a pair of boots can track all kinds of disease onto your farm

 

[skcatlman]

TJ this is the first out break of scours in the last 3 years,i had 1 earlier but not in the same pen,it seemed to be caused but the heavy milk of the cow the calf never temped. The outbreak was 3 days after a stranger went in the pen. amazing coincedence, NOT. I found out the suspect bull buyer who walked in the pen without protective boots who said he didn't have scour problems hasn't started calving but according to his neighbors has scour problems every year and loses calves. So i would hazzard to guess if you took scour excretea form his place it would have the same causitive agent as my calves. Any way i have treated and cleaned the pen of any manure from the calves and seem to have stopped it. I definitely believe that particular guy brought in the scours on his boots. I think the thought that a disease could be brought in on someones boots scares people but it does happen.

 

[LonghornRanch]

The zoos use large shallow pans with disinfectant. Everyone... that means everyone has to step in the disinfectant before moving from room to room.