Sanitation Audit, How and Why?
Unlike when Uncle Sam comes to audit you, a sanitation audit is strictly for your benefit.
That being clear, what should you look for? What should you swab? What is a sanitation audit anyway?
Sanitation audits in calf barns are something that has been popular in the last few years, but they seem to be something that people are forgetting about . While they have their pros and cons, just like many things do, they are still a valuable, quick test you can run on farm to check your sanitation protocols.
We are going to discuss why these are still critical to calf barn management and why you should have these done at least quarterly, if not monthly in your calf barn.
First, a sanitation audit can be done many ways, and with many tools. Of course, it depends how much time, money, and energy you are willing to invest into them, but sanitation is one of those things that will always give a huge return on your investment.
One way that sanitation audits can be done is with an ATP meter. ATP stands for adenosine triphosphate, which is an energy molecule found in all living things. That is also what the ATP meter is measuring when you swab a surface.
These meters have their drawbacks (like most tools do). One of them being that they do not detect viruses, because they do not produce ATP. Another drawback of the meter is that you can’t tell what is on the surface, the meter only gives you a number, not a bacterial ID. Finally, it doesn’t give you an actual standard plate count, it gives you the reading in ATP, which in the ag industry, are up for discussion on what they should be.
Now that you know the drawbacks, let's get on to all of the awesome things you CAN do with the ATP meter on your farm. ATP meters are a fast and easy way to learn how successful your sanitation program is. You don’t need your PhD in microbiology to use one.
It’s as simple as:
Finding a surface that you deem to be clean
Opening the swab
Swabbing a 4”x 4” area by rotating the swab and moving in a side to side motion
Putting the swab back into the plastic tube
Cracking the top and squeezing the liquid into the tube
Shaking it up
Placing the tube into the meter
Holding the meter as vertical as possible
Pressing go and waiting 15 seconds!
Pro Tip: Don’t waste swabs on dirty surfaces, if it looks dirty, sorry to say, it is dirty. The swabs are expensive, and they only tell you something you already know. BUT if it looks clean, swab it, it might tell you something new!
What are some things you might want to swab?
Colostrum collection buckets
Esophageal tubers for colostrum
Maternity pen walls and gates
Milk pumps, hoses, holding tanks
Clean buckets, bottles, and nipples
Clean grain feeders
Walls and gates in the calf barn after cleaning
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it is a place to get started.
After swabbing, make sure you keep a record of it somewhere. It’s important to know how you’re doing, and how you’re improving too!
What should the numbers be? If the sanitation program is doing great, everything that’s clean should swab less than 10. Some people say less than 20, some say less than 50, but we have had the best results with using 10 as our pass/fail level.
How can you achieve these numbers? Simple, all you need is a good protocol, consistency, and checkpoints.
Why do a sanitation audit? Bacteria kills calves, whether it used to be that way or not, that’s the way it is today. Calves require a clean, dry environment to reach their genetic potential, and it’s up to you to provide that to them.
You can learn about our calf barn cleaning protocols here.
If you are looking for easy and sustainable protocols to keep your calf barn clean, send us a message and we can set up personalized protocols for your calf barn.