Probiotics, Prebiotics and how they improve calf health.

A Healthy Calf makes a Great Cow.

I am writing this to spread the word, to help more animals, you and me. Farmers give us great feedback on our calf health products that use “good bugs”.

Its not all about better livewright gains ; Healthy calves are happy calves and that also makes happy farmers. We see reduced pneumonia too, presumably due to  the calf being stronger and with a better immune system overall.

Why we get good results on real farms-

• We use a combination of a ‘good bug’ probiotic with a ‘good bug booster’ pre-biotic. and get a 1+1= 3 result
• We don’t rely on one feed of the bugs, like in a paste or a drench. We put our formulation in the colostrum and follow up for as long as the farmer needs on a daily or twice daily basis
• We get a persistent population of both the excellent E. faecium and the animals own Bifidobacteria

 

The time immediately after birth (the neonatal period) and the milk-feeding period, together are the toughest and most dangerous time for farm animals ;

• Being born with no defence against disease makes colostrum intake vital
• The stomachs and intestines are defenceless and virgin ground for the growth of all bacteria, viruses and protozoa
• Early colonisation of the digestive system with good bacteria is essential for good digestion, health and protection from bad bugs
• Extra stresses do not help- possible mis-mothering & interference, predators, bad weather, transportation, feed changes, inappropriate feed ingredients, infectious agents
• If these things go wrong, gut and lung disease is a big risk.

 

At G Shepherd Animal Health, we use a powerful Probiotic – a “good bacteria”. This EU-registered microbial feed additive contains a high concentration of specifically selected lactic acid bacteria to provide –

• Natural anti-bacterial compounds including lactic acid and bacteriocins
• Enzymes to aid digestion

• An acid pH in the gut to hinder pathogens
• Competition with bad bugs for food and room to attach to the gut wall.

The probiotics fast-growing properties result in rapid colonization and overall improved feed efficiency and weight gain. These good bacteria quickly colonize the small intestine. They attach to the inside wall of the gut and prevent harmful “bad bacteria” from taking hold—called competitive inhibition. This reduces gut problems, and supports immune system function.

We see improved gut function and digestion. You get the best use of feed nutrients and this improves higher feed intake, leading to improved daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio. Trials on calves show 9 to 19% improvement in daily liveweight gain, improved feed conversion (13%) & less diarrhoea (50% scours down to 20%) during the milk feeding period.

It is ideal for young animals like piglets and calves, especially during periods of stress, such as after weaning, around antibiotic treatments, or during regrouping and transportation.

It is 100% natural, safe strain of probiotic bacteria that increases animal health, well-being, production & profitability.

Probiotics

What the scientists show us-

• There are various strains and there are mixed results.
• Academic trials and experiments often focus on one dose, and look for one benefit, e.g. shedding of a resistant strain.
• Multiple strains work better- E. faecium + Bifidobacterium
• “Good bug” E. faecium is widely used in single stomached, monogastric animals, which young ruminants are.
• E. faecium multiplies rapidly, coats the gut wall and produces lactic acid to discourage other bacteria

 

Pre-biotics-

Complex carbs- with a complex name- mannan-oligosaccharides and beta-glucans. They are made from special yeasts

What do PRE-biotics do?

• They bind harmful gut bacteria like E.coli & Salmonella
• Improve the growth and breeding of the animals own good bacteria
• Make the gut wall harder for bad bugs to get through
• Support the immune system
• Increase the structure of the food absorbing surface so the animal can get more nutrients out of its food

 

As an example in sheep when fed to ewes and lambs, our prebiotic helps your flock by

• Production of higher quality colostrum, increasing levels of IgG up to 25%

• Reduced growth checks during periods of stress and challenges, such as weaning and housing changes

• Supported immune status and so better at fighting off pathogens

 

Our pro-biotic has also been shown to help adult cows too, by :

• Improved immune cell numbers
• Helps with heat stress when combined with yeast in the cows diet

 

 A trial on dairy heifer calves showed:

• Calf losses stopped following a previous scour and pneumonia problem
• No antibiotic treatments were needed
• Weaning was able to happen at 6 weeks rather than 9 weeks

 

How do you get these probiotics & prebiotics into your animals?

• Add to raw milk, pasteurised milk, milk replacer and electrolytes
• Add to creep feed and starter rations
• Add to the mixer wagon.

We make this easy for you by including the probiotic and prebiotic in several products:-

First Thirst Colostrum Supplement- you add the dried colostrum with probiotics to the cows colostrum to improve quality and inoculate the gut with good bacteria. This is also available in a lamb colostrum version.

Pro-BOOST is a blend of the prebiotic and the probiotic that you can keep the young animals on from their first colostrum feed, to weaning in the milk and beyond in the dry feed if needed. This is also very useful in cattle and sheep being prepared for show and sale on high feeding regimes.

Kryptic PRO is a more intense course of feeding for two weeks from day 3 to day 17 where there is a definite risk of gut disturbance. It has the same probiotic and prebiotic as Pro-BOOST, but with extra components- charcoal, kaolin & Vitamin C.