Calfcare - prebiotic calf food for better returns from calves

MASSEY STUDY SYNOPSIS
Prebiotic foods are used to increase production. Now, a 2004 Massey University study proves the value and effectiveness of Calfcare™ prebiotics in New Zealand calves.
'Compared to calves in the control group, calves fed with CalfCare™ Prebiotic Food weighed significantly more at the end of the 3-week period, and showed a significant (24%) increase in feed conversion efficiency'*.

*Calfcare also branded as Biocalf Prebiotic Food

Weight gain of calves per week during trial

The average amount of body weight gained during the first, second, and third weeks of the study were assessed for calves in the control and CalfCare™ groups.*

Feed conversion of milk into live body weight.

The average feed conversion efficiency during the three week trial period is shown for the calves in the control and CalfCare™ groups*. Feed conversion was calculated as grams of body weight gained between the first and last weighings, divided by the grams of milk powder (100 grams/L) during this period*.

Study Highlights
Weight Gain
"The improvement in weight gain over time was the most impressive finding, and demonstrated that in milk fed bull calves 1-4 weeks of age, Calfcare had a impact on feed conversion efficiency. In this study, feed conversion efficiency with supplemental Calfcare was observed to increase by 24%; such dramatic increases have only been reported in the context of significant increases in CMR protein content".

Appearance and Condition
"It was observed by handlers in this study that the animals in the Calfcare group appeared to have glossier coats, shinier eyes, a more alert stance and a higher energy level. To our knowledge there are no scientific procedures for measuring the factors on calf appearance that the human eye and brain interprets as "looking better"".

Prebiotic Effect
"Changes in speciation over time were significantly different between the two groups, with the Calfcare animals exhibiting fewer changes in Lactobacillus species.... Little is known about normal microbial ecology in the bovine gut, so the results of this study represent novel information about calf gut flora. It was observed that the Calfcare group exhibited a significantly more stable Lactobacillus population; this finding suggests that Calfcare enhances the maintenance of Lactobacillus species that originally colonise the calf and thereby decreases the opportunities for pathogenic bacteria to gain a foothold in the hindgut".

Summary
"Taken together, the findings of this study provide strong evidence that Calfcare is beneficial when provided as a supplement to neonatal bull calves fed solely on CMR. Calfcare significantly increased the stability of the probiotic bacterial population in the hindgut, and primary or secondary effects of the supplement were to significantly increase both feed conversion efficiency and neutrophil phagocytosis activity... the data presented here clearly demonstrates the efficacy ofthis product in the neonatal calf"