LFP 211: Livestock Farm Practice (0+1)

Disinfection of animal houses

DISIINFECTION OF ANIMAL HOUSES

• Disinfection of animal houses is a laborious process and cannot always be resorted to in a routine way. Under ordinary conditions, daily scrubbing and washing of houses and the action of sunlight falling in the houses are sufficient enough to keep them moderately germ-free. But when a disease outbreak has occurred disinfection is a must and should be carried out scrupulously.
• All floors, walls up to height of 1.5 m, interiors of mangers, water troughs and other fittings and equipments coming in contact with animals are all to be disinfected. The first step in disinfection of animal houses is removal of all filth, as the power of disinfectants is greatly reduced in the presence of organic matter.
• Floors, walls up to height of 1.5 m interior of water troughs and mangers should be well scrubbed and all dung, litter etc. should be removed and stacked separately, where animals cannot reach. The heat generated within the stack in the course of time will kill all germs. In case of an outbreak of anthrax, the dung, litter etc. should first be disinfected in situ thorough sprinkling of suitable disinfectant. If the floor is of earth, which is generally the case in Indian villages, the top 10cm earth should be removed and disposed off along with litter.
• After removal of filth, the place should be scrubbed and washed with 4 per cent hot washing soda solution (i.e., 4 kg washing soda in 100 litres of boiling water).
• The approved disinfectant solution should then be coated liberally over the place by sprinkling or preferably by spraying and left so to act for 24 hours. After this period, the animal house should again be washed with clean water and left to dry by wind and sunlight.
• The interior of water troughs and mangers should be whitewashed. (This can be done even routinely at fortnightly intervals.) The house is then fit for housing healthy animals.