John Lannigan milks just over 250 cows on his farm in Windgap, Co. Kilkenny. Helping him rear calves each spring is Kathleen Phelan, a local retired nurse with over 40 years’ experience — and a sharp eye for the parallels between caring for humans and caring for livestock.
This year, BioBalance was added to the calf-rearing protocol — and the difference has been striking.
How BioBalance Fits Into the System
Calves on the Lannigan farm are given colostrum by stomach tube at birth and taught to feed independently by day two or three. From there, BioBalance is added to the milk. “I give them 20 mls for each calf in their milk. It’s quite easy to administer. We have our pens of six, eight, ten or twelve. In a pen of ten calves, I’m just mixing 200 mls of BioBalance into the milk and they feed quite contentedly.”
A Tale of Two Years — Before and After BioBalance
The contrast between this year and last is what tells the story. “I saw a big difference in the two years. The first year we were continually giving electrolytes and we had the vet calling, giving them IV fluids for rehydration, and calves that stopped feeding.”
“This year, even when the calves are down or feeling off, they’ve just continued feed themselves without any problems. The calves are much healthier — the sheen and the skin and they’re walking around happy and content.”
The mornings were different too. “I didn’t mind this year going up to feed calves because I knew I was going to a shed of healthy calves and feeding with ease. Compared to last year, some mornings I dreaded because you knew the calf wasn’t well, you’re giving her everything to bring them back.”
Last year, the time taken was relentless. “They took so much time trying to feed them, trying to nourish them and get them back to life. That was stressful work and calves took a lot more time. And then for some calves we had to call the vet and that was more work.”
Prevention Better Than Cure — A Nurse’s Perspective on BioBalance
With a career in nursing behind her, the parallels come naturally. “I’m naturally looking at a calf watching their respirations, how she’s looking and holding herself and it’s just the same with humans. You know when humans are sick that they need to be nourished and cared for and be gentler and it’s very same with the calves — they respond the same way.”
“Prevention is way better than treatment and trying to cure. Giving the BioBalance might take a little bit extra time but in the long run, it saves a lot of time, money, energy.”
Savings on Electrolytes, Vet Callouts and Time
“Huge savings. Way down on the use of electrolytes, callouts from the vet way down.”
The calves themselves look the part. “These are much more robust and full of life than last year. They were good but they didn’t stand out.” Even the smaller calves caught up. “We had some calves born small, and some are big. I actually wondered how they would fare. Now they’ve all caught up and they are more like all the same size — all healthy and thriving.”
That consistency has a knock-on effect for the whole system. “For any dairy enterprise having small calves, you tend to put more into them to try to get them up to the required average daily gain. That just adds to the cost of everything.”
And the time saving was real. “I was actually finished sooner — other years took me longer. I am home daily now earlier than previously. Big, big difference.”
Would You Recommend BioBalance?
“I was totally sold on using BioBalance. I think it’s brilliant. I have no hesitation recommending it to any farmer. I would say to the farmer who’s hesitant to get some even just to trial it on some calves and I’m sure you’ll see the difference.”
To find out more about BioBalance for your own calves, get in touch with the Natural Stockcare team or visit the full Natural Stockcare product range.
