Calf Care Quick Tip: Clean Waterers in 7 Easy Steps

Waterers and the surrounding areas are great places for pathogens to thrive because they are almost always warm and moist. The team at Minglewood Inc. in Deer Park, Wisconsin has mastered the chore of cleaning calf pen waterers.  Although these waterers are in the farm’s autofeeder calf pens, the same steps can be applied to most heifer group pens.

1. Make sure water flow is stopped and allow the waterer to drain.

2. Carry all of your cleaning supplies to the waterer in a bucket so you have them all together.

3. Bring a garden hose to the waterer and rinse down all surfaces where calves commonly suck or lick, including the whole waterer, surrounding walls and gates. The Minglewood team threads the hose through the autofeeder nipple area to easily reach from the milk room.

4. Use a foaming attachment on the garden hose to apply an alkaline soap to all surfaces. This helps breakdown the biofilm from milk, manure and saliva.

5. Thoroughly scrub all surfaces with a clean, stiff-bristle brush, including the walls and gates.

6. Rinse all of the surfaces one more time.

7. Push excess water toward a drain instead of leaving a pool in the area.