Calf Health Champions
Sheena Tyrrel
Spring 2023
Waterford Institute of Technology
Given “good” quality colostrum. A week-by-week analysis was completed at the end of each week to measure calf health and performance in terms of calf weight (including Average Daily Gain), temperature and a General Health Score (as adapted by School of Veterinary Medicine, (2015)).
In this trial over the 13 weeks the author noticed a significant difference on calves receiving Precision Microbes results below. Also, it was noted a quicker recovery from scour was observed.
Treatment Group 1 (TG1) calves were given the liquid probiotic milk additive product Precision Microbes Probiotic and Postbiotic Solution for Calves. Treatment Group 2 (TG2) calves received a powered milk additive formulation. The Control Group (CG) did not receive any additional products.
Apart from the different milk additives, the study groups were subject to the same feeding regimen and housing environment. A seven-week treatment duration was used. The colostrum quality was determined of each calf’s dam, using a brix refractometer. This was to ensure calves were
| Group | Week 1 Starting Weight (kg) | Week 8 End of Milk Additive Weight (kg) | Week 13 Pre-Weaning Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Treatment Group 1 (Precision Microbes) | 35.4 | 65.5 | 91.9 |
| Treatment Group 2 | 36.8 | 67.2 | 88.3 |
| Control Group | 34.9 | 62.9 | 87.7 |
Findings Pre-Weaning
Weight difference of 5kg between TG1 and TG2
Weight difference of 3.7kg between TG1 and CG
Weight difference of 1kg between CG and TG2