ISSUE FOCUS 48 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE November 2024 “Producers spend a lot of time and money trying to improve the genetics of their herds. Calves that have both strong immune system development and a healthy gastrointestinal tract will be better able to utilize nutrients efficiently and reach their genetic potential. If we can make calves healthier and reduce the energy they spend keeping the bad bacteria in balance, it should result in better performance.” Your primary focus as a producer is providing your calves with what they need to grow into healthy adult animals. To do so, gut health is key. Good gut health allows the calf to efficiently utilize the nutrients in the feed, giving them a strong, stable and healthy start. However, helping a calf meet its true genetic potential is often easier said than done when there’s a battle going on at the microscopic level inside the calf’s gut. Understanding gut health in cows and calves and how to be a more proactive producer regarding your herd’s health will impact the overall efficiency and success of your operation. UNDERSTANDING GUT HEALTH IN COWS AND YOUNG CALVES An animal’s gastrointestinal tract is made up of billions of bacteria. This bacterial population is comprised of both some pathogenic bacteria and other bacteria that are beneficial to the animal. In a healthy gut, these bacteria keep each other in balance. Gut health problems start when this balance becomes offset and the bad bacteria start to outnumber the good bacteria. For bad bacteria to cause trouble, they must first attach to the gut, where they start to multiply. Antibiotics kill bad bacteria, but they can also kill good bacteria, so taking a different, more proactive approach when addressing calf gut health can be beneficial. Maintaining the good gut bacteria, while ridding the system of the bad bugs, is essential to promoting gut health. Good gut health benefits cattle in a few ways, including: • The efficient utilization of feed • Healthy weight gain • Immunity • Gut integrity TAKING A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO GUT HEALTH Traditionally, the gut has been thought of as just another part of the digestive system. However, we also know that it is an active component of the immune system. A WINNING STRATEGY FOR CALF GUT HEALTH Dr. Shelby Roberts Ruminant Research Scientist Alltech
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