Besides hygiene and farm management, more measures must be taken to keep animals healthy. This includes taking care of the rumen as this fermentation chamber provides most nutrients to the animal. An intact microbial population is also able to reduce the negative effects of feed contaminated with mycotoxins. A healthy rumen is therefore needed to achieve full genetics potential.

EW Nutrition provides products supporting ruminants from the beginning until their productive phases as beef or dairy cattle. These products can be used in calves to stabilize immunity or in adult cattle to protect ruminal health and to defend the animals from the negative effects of toxins, respectively.

RUMINANTS CHALLENGES

CALF GUT HEALTH MANAGEMENT

Up to 75% of the losses in calf rearing are due to digestive disorders. Diarrhoea during the first weeks of life affects the growth rate of calves to maturity and negatively impacts later performance, such as age at first calving and milk yield during first lactation. This results in less profitability.

There are several pathogens that affect the gut health of young calves. Besides the well-known E. coli, corona and rota virus, Cryptosporidia and different Clostridia types cause problems during the first week of life. Later Salmonella types also appear.

The intake of immunoglobulins provided by maternal colostrum immediately after birth is of paramount importance for a calf’s development.

Our Calf Gut Health Program is a strategy to support the balance of the microflora in the gut and the immune response during this critical period.

RUMEN HEALTH

Feeding strategies for cattle focus on meeting the energy requirements for the high levels of milk production and growth performance. A high energy content in the feed is often combined with a low content of crude fibre, which negatively impacts pH, microflora and therefore also the health of the animals.

When cattle suffer from an acute acidosis, with a pH < 5.6, rumen bacteria can die and release lipopolysaccharides or so-called endotoxins, which stress the metabolism of the microbes and additionally the liver and promote diseases such as laminitis.

A sub-acute rumen acidosis (SARA) is often not identified therefore not treated and causes losses due to lower performance. In this case, feed efficiency deteriorates and milk / meat production decreases. Rumen acidosis also impairs the immune defence of an animal. As a result, the somatic cell count and the incidence of mastitis increases in dairy cows and growth performance declines in beef cattle.

Our Rumen Health Program uses natural innovations to favour animal health. Products based on secondary plant compounds increase the microbial synthesis improving the utilization of the energy contained in the feed. In parallel, encapsulated feed grade urea should be used to replace a higher percentage of protein rich feed, mainly regulating the microbial digestion of fibre. Both approaches contribute to a healthy digestion, an improved feed conversion and higher animal performance.

Feed lot dairy cattle and mycotoxins

TOXIN RISK MANAGEMENT

Mycotoxins are an important factor affecting the quality of grains and forages. Combined with the rations rich in energy but poor in fibre, they can seriously affect ruminant health.

Normally, ruminants are less susceptible to mycotoxins than monogastric animals due to the detoxifying capacity of some ruminal microorganisms. But ruminal acidosis can lead to a decline of the number of protozoa resulting in a compromised transformation of mycotoxins.

The mycotoxins and their metabolites can then be absorbed in the small intestine and affect the animals’ health. Their effects range from decreased feed intake, immunosuppression and reduced fertility, liver damage leading to lower milk or meat yields and even death. Dairy cows are more susceptible than beef cattle, as they can be stressed due to an already fatigued metabolism. Additionally, residues of aflatoxins are a threat to humans as they can be found in milk.

EW Nutrition’s Toxin Risk Management Program has been developed to your needs according to the level of risk, which can be checked with the Master Risk Tool. Mastersorb brand products are especially designed to mitigate potential toxin risk. Through the Toxin Risk Management Program EW Nutrition’s client can reach a higher level of performance and improve animal health when faced with challenging toxin levels.

toxin risk management

INFOCENTER