UNDERSTANDING CALCIUM SUPPLEMENTATION OPTIONS

WHAT’S ACTUALLY HAPPENING IN YOUR FRESH COWS

Have a look at the graphic above. It shows what happens to blood calcium levels with different supplementation strategies over the first four days after calving. This matters because it's directly connected to what you're seeing (or not seeing) in your herd.

Here's the problem we're dealing with:

Most calcium boluses give you about a 12-hour window of protection. But your cows are at highest Milk Fever risk between 12 and 24 hours after calving. The product labels tell you to give a second dose, and technically that's the right call. But what actually happens on farm - we know that second dose often doesn't get done. For example if she calved at 2PM - who is bringing her in from the colostrum mob and giving that second bolus at 2AM? So what happens in reality; your cow sits through her first night with low calcium right when she needs it most.

What the lines tell you:

  • Red line (1 bolus): You get a spike, then it drops off. Your cow's vulnerable through that critical 12-24 hour period.

  • Orange line (2 boluses): Even if you do get back to give the second dose, it doesn't kick the calcium up as much as the first one. Still leaves your cows below where we want them.

  • Teal line (Cow Start Complete): Keeps calcium above that 2.0 threshold for the full 48 hours from one dose at calving. You're not chasing cows for a second treatment.

Now Let's Talk About Your Farm

The research is one thing. Your bank balance is another. That's what the calculator below is for.

We all know clinical milk fever is an economic burden. Down cows cost time, treatments, follow on problems. We all know the cows don’t do as well after it. Sub-clinical milk fever is also a large economic problem but we tend not to see it as obviously. SCMF affects a majority of (particularly older) cows and can take over 48 hours to resolve. This is a natural physiological thing for the cow but those 48 hours cost you money - it’s quite surprising how it knocks the cow in the weeks that follow - less milk, more metabolic disease, reproduction issues, ketosis... The calculator helps you work out what that's actually costing your operation versus what you're spending on prevention.

Put in your numbers:

  • How many cows you're calving

  • Milk payout

  • What you're currently spending on calcium supplements

The calculator uses data from recent research trials to show you the economics for your specific setup.

Have a play with the numbers and see what they tell you.