Steven Beamish milks 120 cows in partnership with his father Harry near Skibbereen, Co. Cork. The herd is a Fleckvieh-Holstein cross on a split-calving system, targeting a 70:30 spring-to-autumn ratio. All calves bar replacement heifers are sold at three to four weeks, so early-life performance matters from day one.
Last spring, Steven made one change to the calf-rearing routine — he started using BioBalance on the recommendation of his Drinagh Co-Op advisor, Darren. The results were immediate and lasting.
Healthier Calves and No Setbacks With BioBalance
BioBalance became part of the daily routine from the moment calves were born. “They get their colostrum first. And then, straight away, there’s 10 mls. Usually what we do is 10 mls morning and evening with their milk,” Steven explains. “We just pour it into the feeder and pour the milk in after. There’s no mixing in buckets or any kind of messing around with it. It’s very straightforward.”
Once calves move into group pens of 15, the routine scales up just as easily. “There’s a 15-calf feeder hangs on the gate. We just pour 150 mls of the BioBalance in, and then pour the milk down into the feeder. It just mixes. You never see anything left in the feeder, no clotting or anything.”
The difference in the calves was visible. “You’d be showing your healthy looking calf, good coats on them. They were kind of fatty — more of a softer calf. They sold well in fairness.” At feed time, the appetite was unmistakable. “The calves fighting at the feeder. They were hungry for meal. They were impatient.”
Faster Recovery and No Stomach Tubing
The real test came when calves picked up a touch of illness. In previous years, any setback meant days of lost ground. “Before, if they got a touch of anything, scour or whatever, it would have taken a bit longer. You’d be talking about putting calves on electrolytes and taking them off milk and then you’d be knocking a hell out of the calf there for a week.”
With BioBalance, the recovery was dramatically different. “Once the calf gets his turn, we would give them 20 mls of the BioBalance back to the trough. And the morning after you notice the calf is back up and running again.” One or two extra feeds at most, and the calf was back with the bunch. “You wouldn’t even be picking him out.”
Crucially, calves never stopped drinking. “Any calf that ever got a setback, they stayed drinking. No trying to stomach tube calves in the middle of the night or trying to get fluids into calves. The calves were always mad to drink. That’s the end of the game.”
Spring Calves Ahead of Target — Autumn Calves Tell the Story
The contrast between autumn-born calves reared without BioBalance and spring-born calves reared with it told the full story. “The ones in the autumn took a bit more work to get them. We had trouble with scours and stuff. You were on electrolytes and injections and calves sick and red lamps and all this. In the spring it was kind of straightforward and amazing.”
The spring heifers hit their targets despite what Steven describes as a very tough year. “All calves were turned out late because of the weather. They were inside for longer. They got through it. Nothing went far down really this year. So this stuff did really make a difference. That was the only change.”
Weight for age was ahead of where it needed to be. “If you can get a calf ahead of weight for the first few weeks, it makes all the difference. You’re not trying to catch up down the line.” Weaning came earlier and heavier, and calves transitioned onto meal without the usual disruption. “They were mad for eating and drinking, and they got no setbacks.”
Prevention Over Treatment — and Peace of Mind
For Steven, the economics are straightforward. “It might be a first-day expense when you’re buying the product. But put it over the period of time the calves are getting it — it’s a lot easier to feed the calf 20 mls of BioBalance a day compared to have a calf there in a single pen, sick for three or four days, and a vet calling.”
He puts it simply: “BioBalance is like paying insurance for your calf. Same way as you pay insurance for your tractor or anything. You’re insuring your calf the day he’s born. And just keep paying your insurance, really.”
During a spring where workload was already stretched to the limit, that insurance paid off in time as much as money. “Instead of having to spend most of your day inside in the calf shed, you were able to concentrate on cows. Once the calves were fed in the morning, they were forgotten about until the evening. There was no vets coming to the calves.”
The return on investment came on multiple fronts — reduced vet bills, better calf weights, easier management, and heifers on track for their target calving weight. “I didn’t get any other bills bar the BioBalance. And the calves were ahead. You didn’t see them dip in any way.”
His recommendation to other farmers is clear: “If any farmer was looking for a product for their calves, I would recommend BioBalance. It does work and it just makes management easier. And you get results in your calves.”
To find out how BioBalance can support your calf-rearing programme, visit the full product range or get in touch with the Natural Stockcare team.
