Peace of mind, thrive and success are words used by dairy farmer Andrew Hegarty after his recent experience using new crypto vaccine, Bovilis Cryptium in his herd.
Andrew runs a year-round dairy calving operation in Ballymoney, north Co. Antrim.
Andrew, who has a 350 strong dairy herd on a 500ac holding (380ac of grassland and 120ac of cereals), has been using the new vaccine from MSD Animal Health since its recent introduction to the market.
Andrew said: “My vet, Adam Conn (Riada Veterinary, Ballymoney) had recommended it to me and it’s worked very well.
“Prior to that, I’d been using an oral drench to prevent cryptosporidiosis becoming a problem for us – and thankfully we haven’t had any cases over the past few years.
“However, I’ve been trying to ensure that we could achieve consistency with the application of the oral drench for cryptosporidiosis, especially when we have different people feeding the calves on different days.
“Going back five or six years ago, when we had a few cases of cryptosporidiosis in the herd, we lost a few calves, while others were weak and there was a lot of hard work involved in getting the weaker ones thriving.
“So, when Bovilis Cryptium was launched, Adam advised me that it was the way to go.”
Crypto vaccine
His vet Adam felt the introduction of Bovilis Cryptium represented a logical move for Andrew, given how active a yard he maintains throughout the year.
“Andrew already had excellent colostrum and transition milk management in place and was seeing great results with Bovilis Rotavec Corona.
“However, administering an oral drench to prevent cryptosporidiosis for every calf was time consuming and labour intensive.
“That’s why I recommended Bovilis Cryptium – it provides excellent protection against cryptosporidiosis, while also simplifying calf management.
“The fact that it can be given alongside Bovilis Rotavec Corona made it an easy fit, saving Andrew time and labour while keeping his calves healthy,” Adam said.
Andrew added: “Bovilis Cryptium works so well. Two doses are required in the first year of use, so we initially vaccinated all the sexed semen heifers and since then, we’ve been vaccinating approximately six to eight cows each week.
“Each calf is fed colostrum from cows and heifers that’s been vaccinated with both Bovilis Cryptium and Bovilis Rotavec Corona and I take note of all that in a diary to keep track on when they’ve been fed, how much they’ve been fed and how well they’re doing before they go onto powder milk.
“With Bovilis Cryptium, you must get colostrum into the calf and transition milk for five days. For us, it’s worth the effort as calves are really thriving,” he stressed.
Keeping a handle on what calf is being fed – and how much – is all the more demanding a job on a farm where calving is a year-round reality.
“It really is all go, all of the time. So, anything that improves things for us on a day-to-day basis is a welcome addition.
“Since we introduced Bovilis Cryptium, our calves are livelier and have gone on the bucket easier. The calves, especially the Holstein calves, are taking more milk, so a result the calves are healthier and it’s also made work that little more straightforward for us,” Andrew continued.
Working with a blend of old and new dairying practices – a parlour and a robot – Andrew also keeps bucket-reared beef calves, including Belgian Blues, for three weeks.
“They’re driving on well – they don’t look back, they’re greedy.. they’re strong. They’re up, looking for it. Sure that’s all you can hope for,” he added.
Andrew plans to have the primary course for Bovilis Cryptium administered to all cows on the farm within one year.
Once primary course is complete in all animals, he will be able to administer a single booster along with a single shot of Bovilis Rotavec Corona going forward (except for the new heifers entering the herd each year which will still require the two-dose primary course).
“The upshot of this means that I’ll have less monitoring of calves to do on a daily basis when it comes to their health management, and with both vaccinations in the cows, our calves will be better equipped to deal with scour challenges – so everyone wins.”
For more information on vaccination and therapeutic options in tackling calf scour, speak to your veterinary practitioner for advice on what will provide the best results for your farm.
