An easy way to work out the quantity of disinfectant needed for pig and poultry buildings has been developed by hygiene specialists, Hysolv.
The company has produced a Disinfectant Ready Reckoner that, at a glance, converts animal housing floor area into a guide for disinfectant requirements for the whole house.
Two pocket-sized laminated cards provide separate calculations for housing with either rough surfaces, such as brick or blockwork, or smooth surfaces. Each card has precalculated values for total internal surface disinfection on one side while the reverse side provides another set of calculations for the amount of disinfectant needed for particular control of coccidial oocysts, especially important for a quick turnaround in broiler production. A horizontal axis gives house length from 10 to 150 metres while a vertical axis gives house width from 5 to 75 metres.
“Farmers just need to choose the length and width of the shed, then read off the figure where the two intersect. This gives a useful guide to the number of 10 kg disinfectant cannisters needed,” said Jim Bigmore, Hysolv managing director, who devised the device.
The calculation is based on a one per cent solution of disinfectant. If a different strength is needed, then the total is simply multiplied by the concentration required – for example, times four with a four per cent concentration. A limited number of ready reckoners are available, free, by emailing: info@hysolv.com