Now that the national dairy herd is mostly housed and the main calving season only weeks away, the importance of animal hygiene in the calving and cubicle areas on farm becomes of paramount importance. This is the time of the year which sets the foundation for the overall health and performance of the herd for the coming year. In fact, a high percentage of mastitis cases have a direct connection with the animal hygiene regime in the dry period.

Sanitise bedding conditioner was developed by Agritech in 2009 to help farmers fight this challenge. It was specially designed for animal hygiene to counter the build up and the spread of harmful bacteria in the cow’s lying areas and in the calving boxes but to offer other benefits in terms of comfort and efficiency. In the last seven years Sanitise has developed an excellent reputation and is widely used in bovine, equine, pig and poultry houses where it is giving excellent results in terms of minimising the levels of harmful bacteria in animal lying areas for animal hygiene.

The onset of neonatal scours in the calves along with mastitis and high cell counts in the calved cow can dramatically increase in the absence of proper hygiene controls at this time. 90% of all mastitis cases are picked up from the cows living environment during the pre-calving period and up to 21 days post calving. This is not suprising given that the cow’s immune system is at its lowest around calving. Added to this the extra pressure on housing, moving of groups, postnatal discharges and premilking leakages make the minimising of disease outbreaks an ongoing and increasing challenge.

Sanitise fights disease causing bacteria on a number of fronts. Firstly, Sanitise is highly absorbent absorbing 125% of its own weight in liquids, thus making it 4.5 times more absorbent than most lime based products. Furthermore, it is formulated using a texture which ensures that it remains around the bedding area for a longer post application than other products on the market, ensuring that the lying area stays dry over a longer period. Because bacteria love moisture a dry bed is the first barrier to the build up of harmful bacteria.

Sanitise contains a specific blend of antibacterial agents each of which have very strong antibacterial properties.  The inclusion of these agents has a further positive effect in reducing the spread of harmful bacteria. Sanitise also has a very low weight to volume ratio. This means that Sanitise has an application rate of just 50 grams per cubicle and one bag of Sanitise will treat 400 cubicle places.

Sanitise can be applied by hand, through a sieve or with a Vink applicator. Widely used in calving pens, the benefit of its low application rate is that a little Sanitise goes a long way making it very economical to use.

Sanitise also contains essential oils with natural antibacterial properties giving a refreshing odour and a neutralising effect on ammonia for improved animal welfare and health.

For further information or to place and an order contact your local Agritech distributor.