Manure Handling

Many infectious agents pass in feces or urine of infected animals. To reduce the risk of spreading diseases, proper manure handling will prevent contamination of feed and water.

• Plan and install a manure system to prevent environmental contamination and comply with your state's Accepted Agricultural Practices.
• Maintain clean water troughs, water bowls, and feed mangers.
• Use a separate skid steer or loader bucket for manure and feed operations.
• Use separate shovels and forks for feeding and manure handling.
• Compost or store manure under conditions that destroy most disease-producing bacteria.
• Remove manure frequently from barns, yards, and holding areas to prevent completion of life cycles by intestinal parasites and flies.
• Control the fly population. Methods include flypaper, parasitic wasps, and insecticides.
• Store manure so it is inaccessible to livestock, especially youngstock.
• Prevent runoff of adult manure to youngstock rearing areas or contamination of feed fed to young animals. This is especially important for Johne's control.
• Do not feed refusals from older animals to youngstock.
• Keep dogs and cats out of feeding areas.
• Clean teats and udders of livestock immediately before or after parturition (birthing) so nursing young will not ingest manure if birth is unattended.
• Remove young from dam as soon as possible (i.e. before a dairy calf or kid nurses).
• Clean maternity areas between births.

Managing Manure for Animal Biosecurity Video

The video below was created by the North Dakota State University Livestock Extension.