Calf Scours Study, 2002

Fort Bidwell Study Findings:

100% reduction in scours
increased weaning weights
increased weight post-weaning
OMRI Listed Product

History:

The Fort Bidwell region encompasses the northeastern corner of California, as well as adjacent areas of Oregon and Nevada. Ranching in the Fort Bidwell area primarily consists of private ranches that utilize Bureau of Land Management ranges for grazing beef cattle.

Severe annual calf illness (up to 100% scours) and death (up to 37%) had been observed annually from 1990 to 2001 in a 1200-head cow-calf operation, and years of treatment with numerous antibiotics in several combinations proved unsuccessful. The ranchers had also worked repeatedly with the University of California, Davis College of Veterinary Medicine, and the Washington State College of Veterinary Medicine to ascertain the source of the severe scours that plagued the area. An autogenous bacterin had been developed from the highly resistant strain of enterohemorrhagic E. Coli isolated from local cattle. The effectiveness of this vaccine diminished over time.

The incidence of scour skyrocketed during times of rain, temperature fluctuations, cold stress, and difficulty calving.

The Study:

In January 2002, fifty cows were assigned to the calving study. At birth, the calves were ear-tagged and randomly assigned to either the Treatment group or the Control group.

On days 1 and 2 after birth, the twenty-seven calves in the treatment group received a dose of Ramaekers NEWBORN IMMUNE PRIMER. The twenty calves in the untreated group served as controls.

All calves were branded and vaccinated at 2 to 3 months of age, and the bull calves were castrated. The Treatment group received another dose of IMMUNE PRIMER, while the Control group received nothing. The study calves with their dams were mixed with other cows with calves and cows still due from multiple herds and turned out onto BLM land around April 15th.

After grazing for 5 months, all the calves were returned to the local ranchland for weaning and vaccines, and the Treatment group received one more dose of ADULT IMMUNE PRIMER.

Results & Discussion:

Within the first week of life, 100% of the control calves develop diarrhea, commonly referred to as scours. NONE of the treatment groups experienced any signs of scours.

After observing the difference between the two groups, the ranch owner DEMANDED that the protocol be broken and that the control calves receive IMMUNE PRIMER. The Control calves were given IMMUNE PRIMER for 3 days, after which the diarrhea stopped. This group became designated the Delayed-Treatment group, and the original treatment was renamed the Immediate-Treatment group.

A neighboring herd with similar genetics, herd management, calving times, branding, and a vaccination schedule was now designated as the Control Herd. The only difference was that the Control herd calved at a higher altitude and had a drier climate than the treatment herd, and did not receive the Ramaekers IMMUNE PRIMER formulas.

All the ranchers noted that the Treated calves were easily identifiable, with an estimated 5% to 7% heavier body weight and a more vibrant coat than the untreated calves.

Average Weaning Weights (in pounds)
	heifers	steers
Immediate-Treatment	555	594
Delayed-Treatment	547	589
Control Group	500	525

The calves were hay-fed for 25 days after weaning and then sold. Combined Group weight averages are as follows:

	All Treats	All Control
Weaning weight	570	514
weaning + 1 month	611	550
weight gain	41	36

Fort Bidwell Study Summary & Conclusions:

Starting at birth, the NEWBORN IMMUNE PRIMER formula proved valuable and economical for preventing and treating calf scours.
Placing the calf’s immune system on a high alert level against impending pathogens proved successful.
Strategically using immune supplementation to establish a wellness platform early in life is key to overall health and performance.
IMMUNE PRIMER is efficient and reliable as a new technology in the area of Wellness Management tools.