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Coccidia and dirt floor barn issue

15K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  Twillingate Farm  
Like Sully mentioned, we've been under solid rain for about a month now and I keep patting myself on the back for doing something several years ago when this happened. I covered my dirt based stall floors with several inches of sand to provide leveling and then tightly fitted in those thick rubber stall mats. They clean so easily that it's no problem at all to lay down wood shavings on agricultural lime every day and just clean it up the next.
Outside the stall area we put in a covered 20 x 16 loafing area with half walls to keep rain and snow from blowing in on the South and West walls. If it weren't for these preps, I'd have some serious cocci on my hands by now!
 
Wow, I don't know about you folks out there in Texas and other western states but this rain had better stop soon... The ground is so wet now that even after a week without a gully washer (no sun to speak of either) the hay fields are swampy and nobody can do a first cutting. That means there'll be no second cutting either!
As much work as it is to handle 800 pound wraps of haylage, that may be what we end up having to store up for the winter. The girls are still healthy but I've had to clean the loafing area out twice now with the tractor because nobody wants to play out in the rain. Anyway... for those who haven't put stall mats down, you really, REALLY should give it a go. Super easy to clean!