Bovilis Cryptium reduces scour on 450-cow dairy farm, says farmer
McCormick farms near Bangor with his wife Catherine and his parents, Sam and Patricia. Their 450 pedigree Holstein Friesians calve throughout the year on a 500-acre holding. Efforts to manage cryptosporidiosis included steam-cleaning calf accommodation, feeding colostrum and transition milk, and maintaining strict biosecurity. McCormick said calves continued to develop diarrhoea and sometimes needed intravenous fluids, with their care taking considerable time.
Neil Harbinson, a veterinarian and director at Jubilee Veterinary Centre, recommended adding Bovilis Cryptium to the vaccination programme. He has worked with the family for nine years and said cryptosporidiosis had returned at some point each year, leaving affected calves ill and requiring fluid therapy. Some also needed antibiotics during recovery. Harbinson said his reasons for recommending vaccination were better calf health, lower antibiotic use and reduced labour requirements.
The farm introduced Bovilis Cryptium alongside Bovilis Rotavec Corona, which McCormick had used for 15 years. The two products can be administered together at separate injection sites. Bovilis Cryptium is described as the first and only vaccine protecting calves against cryptosporidiosis. It stimulates the production of specific antibodies in cows before they calve; these reach calves through colostrum and transition milk, which must be fed for at least five days.
The initial vaccination course comprises two 2ml injections beneath the skin, separated by four to five weeks. The course must be completed within the period from 12 weeks to three weeks before calving. For later calvings, a single booster is administered within the same pre-calving window. On McCormick’s farm, cows receive both vaccines when they are dried off, while heifers receive their initial two-dose course during the specified period before calving.
Newborn calves receive four litres of colostrum during their first hour, then enter individual pens. They stay there for at least three weeks before transferring to an automatic feeding system. Transition milk is provided for a minimum of two weeks. McCormick said the farm had long found this feeding practice beneficial and aimed to continue it for two to three weeks wherever possible.
Since the vaccine was introduced, McCormick said very few calves, if any, had required intravenous fluids, and calves were generally thriving better. He also described greater peace of mind during calving because he was less concerned about severe outbreaks. Avoiding setbacks in youngstock matters to his breeding programme, which targets first calving at 23 to 24 months. He said he would recommend Bovilis Cryptium to other farmers and considered products worthwhile when they worked.
Alise Callaghan, ruminant veterinary area manager at MSD Animal Health, advised vaccinating the whole herd alongside effective colostrum management, hygiene, nutrition and calf care. She said protection depends on calves consuming enough colostrum and transition milk from vaccinated cows and heifers, with both provided during at least the first five days after birth. Callaghan recommended that farmers consult their veterinary practitioner to select an appropriate vaccination programme for their holding.
