Clean out your calf sheds as early as possible - 6 months ahead of calves going in there is great more is even better - getting sunlight to all of the surfaces of the calfshed is a great disinfectant and it dries everything out too.

Whether you use woodchips/sawdust or straw - it must be clean and dry (see cosyness in the 8C’s for calf rearing success).

Ensure you have access to enough bedding that will allow you to top up periodically and keep your calves warm and dry (we stack an extra couple of straw bales at the back of each pen so that we can very easily throw an extra flap or two down every couple of days to keep our calves warm and dry).

Make sure your calf feeders, buckets and utensils are all clean - wash with hot water and use dilute hypochlorite as a disinfectant.

Replace the teats - old rubber teats harbour bugs as they perish and deteriorate.

Check gates, walls, fences and dividers - now is a great time to fix or upgrade to make life easier when your calves go into the shed and you are busy with them. Whlist you are at it - look for sharp edges, wire sticking out etc and remove anything that the calves may injure themselves on.

Prepare early, get organised, be ready so that when your calves arrive you are organised and everything runs smoothly.