One of the most essential and critical points to observe in dairy farming is the hygiene of the farm. Hygiene management is a core value in disease control at the farm. It also contributes highly to the value and quality of the milk and other products produced at the farm. Hygiene covers almost all farm activities. Below is an overview of how hygiene impacts various sectors or activities on the farm.
Feeding of the animals.
When feeding the animals, proper hygiene should be the foremost priority for every farmer. That is prepared to become successful in dairy farming.
The feeds provided to the animals should be clean. Simply because it is one of the qualities of a good animal feed. The feed troughs must always get thoroughly cleaned. To avoid feed contamination which results into various bacterial diseases at the farm.
Dirty feed troughs decrease the animal’s appetite. Which negatively impacts health and leads to a reduction in milk production. Some substances including nails and polyethylene bags, become harmful to animal health and can cause death. That is if eaten by the animal.
Clean the water troughs thoroughly every day before you refill them with drinking water for the animals.
To eliminate microorganisms that can cause water contamination, use clean water and soap for cleaning. Water should also be treated with disinfectant to kill all the germs. Thus controlling the risk of waterborne diseases on the farm.
The clean water troughs reduce the growth and spread of E-coli bacteria. The bacteria causes various bacterial infectious diseases among the animals.
In growing and managing calves, proper hygiene of the feed troughs and utensils is vital. It reduces the high risk of calf diphtheria diarrhea and dysentery disease. Bacteria that can arise from contaminated feed commonly cause this condition in calves.
Animals shelter management.
A farmer should consider using reinforced concrete for the floor and drainage systems during shelter construction. The concrete ensures a dry floor and ease of cleaning. It’s good practice for every farmer to clean the shelters regularly. Cleaning is done by removing the cow dung and urine off the floor daily. Additionally scrubbing the floor with clean water and disinfectant kills all the germs from the animals’ dung and urine. This reduces the risk of bacterial infectious diseases like; mastitis from spreading on the farm.
Milking
Milk is a perishable product that is easily susceptible to microbial contamination. Neglecting proper hygiene measures can lead to a decrease in milk quality and increase the risk of contamination. is a common occurrence among almost all dairy farmers across the country. Authorities must critically control the quality of milk in the market, as it has become a national concern.
Additionally, the measures for proper milk hygiene start from the very first step of milking. For example; the milking utensils must be properly cleaned and dried before and after milking. The milking parlor must also be thoroughly cleaned. The milkman/ farmer should also ensure proper personal hygiene before handling milking and utensils. The transporting should also be purely clean to avoid milk contamination on the way to market.
Adding substances such as water and other chemicals to the milk is becoming a common practice among farmers. We must strictly prohibit this practice because it alters the composition and quality of the milk. Thus posing a health threat to consumers. Therefore, hygiene is a very critical and sensitive parameter in a dairy farm. The entire milk supply chain processes and transports milk until it reaches the final consumers. consumers.
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