The McConnell’s run two separate commercial sucker herds in Clogher, Co Tyrone, with the majority of calves sold as weanlings. For the past number of years they have had problems with crypto. They tried everything without any long-term success. Most of their calves were infected and unfortunately they were losing calves to this problem.
Along with several management improvements, the McConnell’s now use Provita Protect POM-VOPS at the start of the calving period. Provita Protect is the only licenced probiotic for the prevention of scour which is proven as a replacement for antibiotics. Provita Protect is administered as soon as the calves are born; within ten minutes before they attempt to get up. The high-level multi-strain probiotic in Provita Protect works immediately by preventing harmful pathogens from the mother and the environment establishing in the gut.
“Calves get up and suck from their mothers much quicker after receiving Provita Protect. It also provides them with protection from pathogens in the environment and on their mother’s hides. Now if calves take scour, it is only a mild nutritional problem, which can be solved easily,’ confirmed Mr Mc Connell.
‘We haven’t lost any calves due to scour since using Provita Protect. It is a product I would not be without now when calves are born, after seeing a 100% reduction in scour.’
Many other farmers across Northern Ireland rely on Provita Protect to help reduce calf scour.
Farmers Weekly, Beef farmer of the Year 2011, Sam Chesney, runs Cool Brae Farm in Co Down. He has used Provita Protect for the past ten years. “The calves receive Protect as soon as they are born. Experience with the product has confirmed that it significantly reduces the incidences of scour. In the event of any calf coming down with the problem, we have found that it is much easier cured. I would heartily recommend its use to any dairy or suckler herd owner.”
Co Antrim farmer, Francis Connon has been using Provita Protect for many years, and has seen great benefits from using it. “The vast bulk of the herd calves down in the spring with a smaller number calving down in the autumn. We have always administered Provita Protect to the calves, as soon as they hit the ground. We follow the application regime to the letter over the calves first two days of life. And it’s an approach that has worked well from us. Problems with scour never raise their head.”
Using Provita Protect has become part of the regular calving routine on the Smith family farm in Co Tyrone. “We have used Provita Protect for many years, and we would never change this routine. We had calves born at the end of September and beginning of October, all of which got a dose of Provita Protect as soon as they were born. For us it is just a case of giving our calves an opportunity to thrive as well as possible and to be confident that we have done our best to ensure that their gut is protected from bad bacteria.”
Provita Protect POM-VPS is the only probiotic which is medicinally licensed for the prevention of calf scour. It has been clinically proven to reduce calf scour by 83%. To obtain this Veterinary Licence, it has undergone many years of rigorous testing to guarantee safety, efficacy and quality. Provita Protect should be given to new born calves at birth; bought-in calves; after digestive upsets or after antibiotic therapy.
With the industry under pressure to reduce antibiotic usage Provita Protect is a natural safe proven alternative. Vaccines do offer narrow high level protection where particular pathogens have been identified. However Protect has a broader spectrum of protection against all types of pathogens. This was demonstrated on clinical farm trials, farm tests and in lab conditions. The three strains of lactic acid forming bacteria used in the product have all been shown, in vitro, to be inhibitory to 8 pathogens common to farm animals. The pathogens tested were: E.coli strains K88 and K99, Salmonella typhimurium, dublin and enteritidis; Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens and Listeria monocytogenes.
Provita Protect is widely available in Northern Ireland. FREEPHONE 0800 328 4982 for your nearest stockist.