The Bovine Bugle

Maternity wards get cleaned up for the busy season

Mom and baby check out their maternity pen.

Earlier this week, son Ben was off from school, so while I ran some errands in St. Albans. my mom and Ben cleaned the two maternity pens where our cows calve this time of year.

The pens are about 10' X 10', with one of the pens having two stanchions at one end in case we need to restrain an animal. We wanted to clean all the dried manure, etc. off the walls before cows started calving here again. It's important to have as clean an environment as possible, so as not to put the newborn calf or the new mom at risk of picking up some illness from a dirty pen.

Ben ran a hose from the milkhouse to the pens. They used plenty of steaming hot water and soap to scrub the walls and gates to get them nice and clean. The room has a drain in the center so all the wash water was swept easily down the drain and out of the room. Once the floor dries, fresh sawdust will be put down on the concrete floors to give the cows a comfortable, clean place to have their calf. With several cows already born this week, we got the work done just in time!

--Jonathan, Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont

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Posted by Blogger Chris at April 1, 2005 08:44 PM