The first weeks of a calf’s life are crucial. Early health challenges don’t just inflate vet bills and hinder growth, but the long-term effects can ripple for years.
The most pressing challenge? Environmental pathogens like Clostridia, E. coli, and Salmonella are primary drivers of digestive upset in calves. These pathogens damage the gut lining, produce toxins and infiltrate the body, leading to long-term health issues and secondary infections like bovine respiratory disease.
Frustratingly, these pathogens are very common and difficult to avoid. Which means preventative measures aren’t enough. Protection is critical for ensuring calves live long, healthy lives.
Enter probiotic solutions. They are a cost-efficient tool that can be highly effective at supporting pathogen management on the farm. And when it comes to probiotics for calves, BaciFlex®-Calf is the only one with highly selected strains that facilitate comprehensive pathogen control to support health and immune function.
Testing BaciFlex-Calf in real-world conditions
To validate its practical efficacy, BaciFlex-Calf was tested at a Wisconsin calf-raising facility on 717 pre-weaning calves over the summer months in wet and muddy conditions.
Calves were sourced from multiple farms, arrived at the calf-raising facility between 1 to 5 days of age, and were housed on dirt in individual calf hutches. They were fed a 24-20 non-medicated milk replacer with or without BaciFlex-Calf, along with starter until weaning at about 64 days of age.
Body weight was determined upon arrival at the facility and at weaning. At less than 1 week, 4 to 6 weeks, and 7 to 8 weeks of age, calf fecal and health scores were assessed, and fecal samples were submitted for analysis of Clostridia, C. perfringens, E. coli, and Salmonella.
BaciFlex-Calf strengthens health and drives growth
BaciFlex-Calf started out by inducing a significant reduction in fecal E. coli levels, which resulted in 40% lower fecal scores throughout the trial.
Reducing pathogens and healing the gut supported a 45% reduction in respiratory disease in calves consuming BaciFlex-Calf – going from 14.5% to 8%. This reduction allowed calves to meet the industry gold standard of less than 10% pre-weaning respiratory incidence.
With the pathogen burden lifted, calves on BaciFlex-Calf were able to increase their average daily gain, leading to a 5.5 lb. higher body weight at weaning. This additional gain allowed calves to double their birth weight by weaning and meet industry growth recommendations, while the control calves did not.
This performance will pay dividends for years. Research has shown that higher weights and fewer negative health events pre-weaning translate to decreased health events post-weaning, greater milk production and increased longevity in the herd.
On the farm, pathogen challenges are inevitable. But with the right protection, their impact can be mitigated. To learn more about how BaciFlex-Calf can benefit your herd, contact your local Papillon Youngstock Specialist.
