“We’ve been using the Cobalt B12 for as long as I can remember,” says Edward Earle. “I can remember as a child going to the ploughing with my daddy, going up to the stand and talking to Jack about products.”
Edward farms just outside Gorey in Co. Wexford — a sixth-generation lowland farm running 300 ewes, mainly Texel, Suffolk, and Charolais cross. He farms alongside his parents John and Margaret and younger sister Gillian, lambing from around the 10th of March each year. He sources his Natural Stockcare products through Tirlán FarmLife.
Cobalt B12: Over Twenty Years in the Programme
That is over 20 years of continuous use. Cobalt is the most deficient trace element on the Earle farm. Without supplementation, rumen microbes can’t synthesise Vitamin B12 properly, and without B12, lambs can’t efficiently convert their feed into liveweight. The Cobalt B12 drench addresses that gap directly.
“We started using the B12 drench and we noticed an improvement in the lambs continuously from the time we started using it,” Edward says.
The Results: Scan Rate Up From 1.8 to 2.1
It’s not just the lambs that benefit from Cobalt B12, Since introducing regular Cobalt B12 drenching, Edward has seen his scanning rate improve in his ewes from 1.8 up to 2.1 over the last two years.
“The main benefit we’d see is the continual thrive of the lambs,” he says. “The wool is nice and tight under the back and their ears — there’s no scab under the ears as a result of getting the B12 drench.”
“Performance of the lambs will be a lot better. The weight gain will be much improved now with the regular drench of the B12.”
Practical and User-Friendly
On a busy farm, how a product handles through the gun matters. A drench that blocks, foams, or fights you slows the job down and introduces doubt about whether every animal got its dose.
“The product flows nice and consistently and steadily through it,” Edward says. “It’s a real user-friendly product.”
Worth the Investment
Edward doesn’t see Cobalt B12 as a cost. He sees it as a return.
“It’s well worth the money — for the price of the drench and the results that you see in the lambs. You’ve got vigour and growth in the lambs. It’s well worth the investment.”
“To maximise the return, you need to make sure your sheep are in good health, in good condition. And that’s where having the minerals — the Cobalt B12 — plays an important role.”
To find out more about Cobalt B12 for your own flock, get in touch with the Natural Stockcare team or visit the full Natural Stockcare product range.
