| 43 nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Reshure Farms They receive a breakdown that they can then use to select bulls that will improve the herd. WHAT IS MILK FEVER COSTING YOUR FARM? HEALTHY ANIMALS. HEALTHY FOOD. HEALTHY WORLD® SMART NUTRITION FOR A HEALTHY TRANSITION™ Animate: the palatable solution for transition cows. DCAD MADE SIMPLE Contact us: 0800 488 254 Target milk fever correctly Animate, a patented anionic mineral supplement from Phibro Animal Health, is transforming transition cow management by addressing one of the dairy industry's most costly problems - hypocalcaemia, or milk fever. “The link between hypocalcaemia and associated health disorders including mastitis, ketosis, dystocia, retained placenta, prolapsed uterus, matritis, udder oedema, displaced abomasum and fatty liver has been well established,” explains Megan Hardy, Commercial Manager New Zealand for Phibro Animal Health. The scale of the problem is hypocalcaemia occurring in more than 50% of second lactation and older cows. While only 2% of cows are clinically diagnosed with milk fever, research indicates that 4% have milk fever but don't become downer cows and 33% are subclinically affected. Animate works by creating a fully acidogenic negative DCAD (Dietary Cation-Anion Difference) diet that improves calcium metabolism in transition cows. The supplement contains three crucial macrominerals - chloride, sulphur and magnesium - necessary for proper negative DCAD diet formulation. Megan says that university research demonstrates impressive results. Cows fed a fully acidogenic diet using Animate for 21 days prior to increase in milk yield through lactation compared to cows on non-acidogenic diets. “Farmers using Animate have experienced success in reducing and even eliminating milk fever. Cows are recovering quicker from calving, and we see overall improved animal health, resulting in better in-calf rates and increased production for the season,” says Megan. She says that research has also shown cows are 4.5 times more likely to become insemination and ovulate 1.8 days earlier than those on conventional programmes. farm management, Animate offers remarkable ease of application. Unlike traditional anionic salts that must be mixed into feed and can restrict dry matter intake, Animate can be fed ad-lib in paddocks during the transition period. This approach eliminates the labour-intensive mixing required with alternative products. Farm workers simply ensure bins remain centrally located in paddocks and don't run empty. The palatability factor addresses a common challenge with anionic supplements. Traditional anionic salts often reduce feed intake due to poor taste, but Animate is readily consumed without prepartum dry matter intake. Concentration is another key advantage. As one of the most concentrated commercially manufactured anionic products available, feeding rates are typically half those of other products when used in fully acidogenic diets targeting urine pH of 5.5-6.0. “I have a lot of clients with wearables such as ruminating boluses and cow collars who have been seeing good results in their post-calving ruminations from using Animate,” says Megan. “It’s truly a unique product and it’s exciting to see farmers experiencing such positive results.” Animate is available through key rural retailers. https://www.pahc.com/animate/product/
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