Category: Cattle Feed Supplements

The productivity of cattle depends on a healthy and balanced microbial environment within the rumen. Various factors, including changes in diet, stress, and intensive farming practices, can disrupt this balance, causing reduced feed efficiency, poor nutrient absorption, and metabolic disorders such as acidosis. Probiotics are beneficial micro-organism that regulates the microbial balance in cattle, enhancing the profitability of the farmer.

Probiotics for cattle

Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when given in sufficient amounts, provide health benefits to the host. They are non-pathogenic microbes widely used for their health impacts on both dairy and beef cattle at all developmental stages. They are targeted to the rumen, where they enhance fermentation by regulating microbial populations that impact feed digestibility and nutrient absorption. Probiotics positively impact cellulolysis and microbial protein synthesis, stabilizing rumen pH and lactate levels.

How Probiotics Support Ruminant Health Probiotics offer advantages for ruminants by improving gut health, digestion, and productivity while providing environmental sustainability. They help to improve animal performance, immunity, milk quality, and rumen function.

Key benefits of probiotics in ruminants

• Improves gastrointestinal health by regulating gut microbes.
• Improves immunity and help in disease infection.
• Lower methane emissions, reducing environmental impact
• Improves yield, quality, and functional components like protein and fat of the milk
• Improves food conversion ratio by promoting nutrient digestibility
• Supports growth of ruminal cellulolytic bacteria
• Helps to stabilize rumen pH and reduce acidosis
• Reducing ammonia level via decreasing protein degradations

Probiotic Strains Commonly Used in Cattle Feed

• Lactobacillus spp. helps in lactic acid production and the competitive exclusion of pathogens.
• Bifidobacterium spp. supports gut barrier integrity.
• Enterococcus spp. is involved in modulating immune responses.
• Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast species) improves fiber digestion and stimulates cellulolytic bacteria.
• Propionibacterium spp. helps in glucose synthesis by producing its precursor in ruminants.

The use of multiple-strain probiotics offers broad protection from infections and improves rumen health due to the complementary action of strains.

VINYEAST–P: A Synergistic Probiotic Solution

VINYEAST–P is a unique combination of Live Yeast Culture (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and Propioni bacteria (Propionibacterium freudenreichii). It influences ruminal metabolism by manipulating fermentation and ruminal productivity. Live Yeast Culture (LYC) supports fiber digestion, stabilizes fermentation, lowers oxygen and lactate levels, and boosts beneficial microbes.

Propionibacterium helps convert lactic acid into propionic acid, reducing acidosis and stabilizing pH. VINYEAST-P improves nutrient utilization, supports glucose and milk production, and reduces mycotoxin absorption without affecting productivity.

VINYEAST-P – a microbial synergy that drives benefits from digestion to production!

*References on request

Feed intake is one of the most crucial factors affecting animals’ growth, health, and productivity. The choice of animal feed relies on various factors, including past feeding experiences, sensory characteristics, post-ingestive feedback, and physiological conditions. Ruminants like cattle can detect sweet, sour, salty, and bitter flavors, but their Sensitivity levels differ from those of humans. With approximately 25,000 taste buds and 1,186 olfactory gene receptors, cattle are highly responsive to feed taste, making palatability a crucial consideration in feed formulation.

The Importance of Palatability in Feed Formulation

Palatability is determined by the feed’s taste, smell, temperature, and texture. However, palatability cannot be treated simply as feed quality because it depends on experience and the present nutritional condition of the animal. Low feed quality due to seasonal variations, raw material fluctuations, and economic constraints can impact feed acceptance. Additionally, factors such as diet changes, high temperatures, climate variations, and changing feed formulations can reduce palatability and negatively impact animal performance.

Factors affecting the palatability of feed

Lower palatability reduces FCR and nutrient intake, eventually impacting farmers’ productivity and profitability. The most efficient and cost-effective way to improve the palatability is by using Flavours in feed.

The Role of Flavors in Feed

Flavors, a non-nutritive palatability enhancer, improves the aroma and taste of feed, stimulating a sensory response that encourages animals to eat. It increases the animal’s appetite, improving feed intake and performance. Reduced feed consumption, especially during stress conditions such as weaning, transportation, or illness, can weaken young calves and lactating cows. Flavors help improve feeding, providing optimal nutrition and performance.

The functional use of flavors in animals’ diets increases a sensory response in animals’ appetite for feed intake. This eventually improves animals’ health, growth, and reproductive performance.

Benefits of adding flavors to feed 

• Enhances feed intake by improving palatability.
• Hinders unwanted tastes of vitamins and minerals.
• Improves diet consistency by providing uniform taste across feed variations.
• Supports cost-effective feed formulations like agricultural by-products without impacting palatability.

 

Natural Flavors in Cattle Feed

Natural flavors in cattle feed contain plant-based sources, essential oils, and other naturally present compounds that improve feed palatability and reduce dependency on synthetic flavors. These flavors help stimulate appetite, improve digestion, and feed intake, especially during conditions like weaning or dietary transitions.

Common natural flavors of cattle feed include greengrass, molasses, vanilla, and banana. Molasses and vanilla add sweetness, making feed more appealing, while greengrass and hay flavors mimic the natural grazing experience. These natural flavors make feed more palatable and support better nutrient absorption, helping cattle get optimal health and productivity.

 

*References on request*

Farmers are generally familiar with diarrhea caused by bacteria like E. coli or viruses. In contrast, parasitic illnesses such as Cryptosporidiosis (crypto) are less well-known, even though Cryptosporidium parvum is a common disease in calves. Cryptosporidiosis is likely the most infectious agent causing calf scours on farms due to its incidence, universality, environmental resilience, and low infective dosage. Cryptosporidiosis is now recognized as endemic in cattle worldwide and is one of the most important causes of neonatal enteritis in calves globally. The economic losses associated with bovine cryptosporidiosis include the cost of treating and managing enteritis, reduced feed conversion and production efficiency, and losses due to mortality. A recent study found that dairy calves infected with C. parvum between 3 days and 3 weeks of age incurred an average cost of €40 (~£35/$43) per calf.

What Is Cryptosporidium Parvum?

Cryptosporidium parvum is a protozoan parasite that causes cryptosporidiosis in cattle, primarily affecting young calves. Four species of Cryptosporidium are commonly found in cattle: C. parvum, C. bovis, C. ryanae, and C. andersoni, but only C. parvum is associated with clinical disease in neonatal calves, with older animals (> 6 weeks) exhibiting asymptomatic shedding of oocysts.

Facts About Bovine Cryptosporidiosis

• Mainly affects calves (especially those under 4 weeks old)
• Causes severe watery diarrhea, leading to dehydration and weakness
• Spreads through feces-contaminated water, feed, or environment
• No specific treatment is available; management focuses on supportive care and hydration.

Life Cycle of Cryptosporidium Parvum

Infected calves shed millions of parasites into the environment, as the parasite’s life cycle allows it to multiply rapidly. This leads to very high levels of oocysts in the environment, which is a source of infection for young animals in that environment.

Current Control Measures for Bovine Cryptosporidiosis

Cryptosporidiosis is a difficult disease to control because of environmentally stable oocysts, low infective doses, high levels of excreted sporulated oocysts, and rapid transmission of infection to a group of susceptible hosts very quickly. The oocysts are resistant to many disinfectants; there are no vaccines available to prevent the disease, and available treatment options are limited and often rely on rehydration therapy. However, crypto-related scour can add thousands in treatment costs, added labor, and reduced feed efficiency and performance.

Among the various solutions available for managing cryptosporidiosis in cattle, natural plant-based phytogenic solutions have emerged as a more effective and sustainable alternative. Unlike conventional treatments, which may have limitations such as drug resistance or environmental concerns, phytogenic solutions may offer a natural and holistic way to improve gut health, enhance immunity, and support faster recovery in infected calves.

Effect of Phytogenic Feed Additives from Studies

Natural compounds such as plant secondary metabolites showed a wide range of beneficial effects on animal health. Polyphenols, a group of plant secondary metabolites, have been postulated for their antibloat qualities, improved nitrogen utilization, reduced methane generation, and anti-helminthic effects. Previous studies reported that polyphenolic compounds or polyphenol-rich plant extracts suppress experimentally induced inflammation processes, especially in the gut. The ability to activate several antioxidant enzymes by polyphenols could also be an explanation for the results found in the various studies.

 

 

Cryptorid is a specially formulated, non-antibiotic animal feed supplement designed to prevent bacterial scours and disrupt the lifecycle of Cryptosporidium, which reduces the risk of cryptosporidiosis in calves. It contains a blend of plant extracts rich in phenolic compounds, including tannins, flavonoids, isoflavones, and phenolic acids, which work synergistically to enhance calf performance, support gut health, and effectively control diarrhea.

BENEFITS

1. Disrupts the lifecycle of Cryptosporidium
2. Reduces oocyst shedding
3. Boosts immunity in juvenile
4. Strengthens and protects the villous lining of the intestinal epithelium
5. Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory properties to strengthen the defense system

 

“Crypto-Free Calves – Naturally”

*References on request

India is the largest producer of milk in the world, contributing 23% of global milk production. In three decades (the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s), the daily milk consumption in the country rose from a low of 107 grams per person in 1970 to 427 grams per person in 2020-21 as against the world average of 322 grams per day during 2021. Milk and milk products are rich sources of protein and minerals such as calcium, magnesium and phosphorus, which are essential in a healthy and balanced diet. Milk composition is economically important to milk producers and processors and nutritionally important to consumers.

The goal of milk producers is to modify composition as much as possible to meet market demand but to emphasize maximum yield of components in high-quality, wholesome milk.

Nutrients and their Challenges

In cattle, costliest part of nutrients are carbohydrate, protein, and fat. Maintaining balance and utilization of nutrients is most important to explore superior genetic potential.  Hence, an adequate supply of these nutrients through diet is crucial to maintain the overall health conditions of cattle.  Protein being one of the essential nutrients, is essential for milk production in cattle, as it supports milk synthesis, provides essential amino acids, and boosts energy levels. It also maintains the cow’s health, aids body tissue repair, and strengthens immune function.

Nutritional challenges arise due to inadequate nutrition and inferior quality of raw materials. Also, the nutrient requirement changes according to the environment, stages of lactation and gestation, and individual health and variation in breed/genetics.

Factors Affecting Milk Protein and Fat Content

• Nutrition
• Breed/Genetics
• Environment/Management
• Health/Physiology

Why is Protein Critical to Cattle Nutrition?

Protein is a vital nutrient for maintenance, growth, health, reproduction and lactation in cattle. Protein supplies the microbes in the gut, or rumen bugs, the ammonia and nitrogen sources they need to function. And these microbes are further digested by the cattle which provides microbial protein, an essential protein source in cattle. When cattle aren’t getting enough protein, microbial activity decreases, causing a lower rate of digestion. Decreased digestion results in less nutrition available for absorption by the animal. While these effects are internal, you would observe the consequences of protein deficiency in the growth of your cattle.

Protein Digestion in Ruminants

In dairy cows, an inadequate supply of protein through diet will result in reduced amino acid availability for milk protein synthesis, milk yield, and overall body conditions. Milk protein and fat percentage and composition can be changed through feeding. Absorbed amino acids are used mainly as building blocks for protein synthesis, as well as precursors for glucose and fatty acids synthesis. Thus, there is a need of amino acid optimization for better productivity of dairy cows.

KiFAY- Natural Amino Acid Optimizer

KiFAY is a natural amino acid optimizer, which improves the amino acid utilization in cattle to increase the protein content in milk. Its plant-based components retain amino acids in the body for the biosynthesis of proteins and fats, improving body conditions, increasing milk yield with enhanced nutritional values. Hence, it maximizes the availability of amino acid for maintaining the cattle in anabolic state of processes like protein synthesis. KiFAY also improves the palatability of feed, which lead to more consistent and adequate feed intake, directly supporting higher milk yields, improved milk quality, and weight gain.

How does it work

Benefits :

• Improves Milk protein
• Improves Milk SNF
• Enhances immunity
• Increases palatability of food
• Improves Dung texture
• Improves Skin Coat

 

*References on request*

A Natural Revolution – Where Quality Meets Quantity in Milk Production

Production of milk is carried out by about 150 million families worldwide. Smallholders produce most of the milk in developing nations, and Milk Production supports nutrition, food security, and household livelihoods. For cattle to maintain, grow, stay healthy, reproduce, and lactate, protein is an essential food. Protein provides the ammonia and nitrogen sources that rumen gut bacteria require to survive. These microorganisms break down food into Microbial Cell Protein (MCP) and Volatile Fatty Acids (VFAs), which cause digestion. Insufficient protein intake in calves results in a drop in microbial activity, which in turn lowers the pace of digestion. The stimulation of muscle protein synthesis is reliant on the adequate availability of amino acid (AA) precursors.

The increase in circulating AA concentrations in the blood serves as a signal to initiate synthetic processes. A sufficient increase in blood AA is required to overcome a concentration gradient that normally favors the intracellular space. Muscle protein synthesis and a positive anabolic state are directly related to the rate of appearance of AA in the intracellular space. Thus, only feeding amino acids with an optimal amino acid ratio is not the final frontier. Reduced digestive capacity means that the animal can absorb less nutrients. Even though these impacts are internal, you can see how a lack of protein would affect your cattle’s growth.

A milking cow’s diet deficient in calories can lead to low milk protein, low milk production, poor immunity, and poor fertility. The cow will become more prone to illness and metabolic conditions such as mastitis, ketosis, lameness, and loss of body condition as a result. By adopting sustainable and natural approaches, farmers can improve the quality of their dairy products while promoting the well-being of their herds.

KiFAY – An Herbal Supplement for Improving Protein Absorption.

KiFAY is an amino acid optimizer that improves protein turnover. It is a natural feed additive that maintains the anabolic state of the animal in isoenergic diets.

KiFAY, an amino acid optimizer, enhances protein synthesis by reducing protein catabolism and protecting the amino acids from degradation. KiFAY increases the retention of protein in the body which translates into improved production, live weight gain, and immunity.

Benefits of KiFAY

• Improves milk protein

KiFAY can retain more proteins in the body which eventually results in higher protein levels in Milk

• Improves milk SNF

SNF (solids-not-FAT) portion consists of protein (primarily casein and lactalbumin), carbohydrates (primarily lactose), and minerals (including calcium and phosphorus). An improvement in SNF indicates improved yield in value-added milk products

• Enhances immunity

Proteins, an enhanced amino acid accretion results in disease preparedness, and better titers for vaccines drive immunity.

• Increases palatability of food

KiFAY is also a palatability enhancer, it increases the feed consumption in ruminants and thus increases nutrient intake.

• Improves Dung texture

Improved dung patty formation results from better ruminating behavior, which results in higher digestibility coefficients of feed

• Improves Skin Coat Condition

Improved protein utilization improves the body condition score, especially for the coat/skin of the animal.

Why KiFAY? Because…..

Action and Benefits

“Boosted cattle performance through natural means”

Conventional feed probiotic – Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Animal feed yeast – is used to alter rumen fermentation to improve nutrient digestion, reduce the rumen acidosis risk, and improve animal performance. The use of yeast in animal feed improves the nutritive value of the feed due to its high energy, protein, and amino acid content.
Direct-fed microbial used in ruminant feed supplements include live microbial cells. (yeasts, moulds, and bacteria) and(or) their metabolites to alter the rumen and lower-gut microflora. Yeast is supplemented in dairy diets to improve animal performance and is considered a ‘natural’ alternative to antibiotics. When fed to lactating dairy cows, improved milk production is the most consistent benefit reported, however, increased dry matter intake (DMI) and milk fat percentage have been shown.

Less conventional feed probiotic – Propionibacterium freudenreichii

Propionibacteria are found naturally in the rumen and makeup 1.4% of the total ruminal microflora. Propionibacteria play a vital role in the production of glucose (gluconeogenesis), spare glucogenic amino acids and inhibition of hepatic lipid oxidation. Therefore, they have been used to improve energy metabolism for dairy animals, especially in the transition period from gestation to lactation.

Dairy propionibacteria have proven to possess many promising properties such as the production of nutraceuticals like vitamin B2, B12, K and conjugated linoleic acid, and their health-promoting effects could be attributed to one or more of the following modes of action: i) influence on gut microbial composition and exclusion of pathogens; ii) modulation of the metabolic activities of the microbiota and host, and iii) immunomodulation

The blend of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Propionibacterium freudenreichii synergistically changes in the rumen microbial population, rumen fermentation, intestinal nutrient flow, and diet digestibility. It could be concluded that propionibacteria as feed supplements can play a vital role in the enhancement of ruminants’ productive performance.

VINYEAST-P, a novel blend of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Propionibacterium freudenreichii

Balancing the rumen ecosystem is a balancing act. By maximizing fermentation, dairy cows obtain more volatile fatty acids for energy and microbial protein. Consecutively, more fermentation produces more acid and lowers the rumen pH. The lower rumen pH can depress fibre digestion and lead to metabolic acidosis.

Vinyeast-P enables the stability between enhanced rumen function and rumen ecosystem. Each probiotic has synergistic harmonious mode of action which ensures efficient stimulating effect on rumen metabolism and productive performance.

Vinyeast P

*References on request

Vitamin D3, Alpha Vitamin for Poultry in its Most Active Formd antibiotics

Bovine mastitis is the inflammation of the mammary glands in dairy cows. It usually occurs as an immune response to bacterial invasion of the teat canal by variety of etiological sources present on the farm i.e. pathogenic microorganisms, chemical, mechanical or thermal injuries to the udders.

Types of Mastitis

Clinical Mastitis is an inflammatory response to infection-causing visibly abnormal milk (eg. colour, fibrin clots). As the extent of the inflammation increases, changes in the udder (swelling, heat, pain, redness) may also be apparent.

Subclinical Mastitis is the presence of a mostly asymptomatic infection without apparent signs of local inflammation or systemic involvement (fever, anorexia, shock). If the infection persists for at least two months, the infection is termed chronic.

Mastitis causes financial losses to dairy industries through reduced milk yield, poor milk quality, increased culling and also due to additional expenses on treatment and extra labor. The annual economic losses due to mastitis in India, United States, UK and worldwide have been estimated at $1.1 billion, $2 billion, $371 million and $35 billion (country graph with mastitis expenses), respectively.

The prominent bacteria responsible for causing mastitis include both gram-positive and gram negative bacteria. There is a need to explore alternative approaches for the treatment of mastitis because of their microbial resistance. Moreover, antibiotics in dairy milk have potential downstream effects on human health.

Somatic Cell count

In mastitis, the inflammatory reaction in the udder tissue causes changes in the biochemical composition of milk. Detection of subclinical mastitis is best done by testing milk for somatic cell count (SCC) (predominantly leucocytes) using either California Mastitis Test or automated methods. It is positively correlated with the presence of infection. Inflammatory changes and decreases in milk quality may start with SCCs as low as 100,000 cells/mL. Although variable, an SCC of ≥200,000 cells/mL in a cow indicates a high likelihood of infection.

Herbal therapy is a promising area in treatment of mastitis as no adverse effect is associated with it. Medicinal plants can be used as an alternative therapeutic option or as an adjunct agent in managing bovine mastitis.

How does Recomast cure Mastitis ?

The phytochemicals like Berberine, Tinosporine, Diterpenoid lactones, Glycosides and Curcumin derivatives derived from Tinospora cordifolia and Curcuma longa protect udders against pathogens and its toxins, stopping the progress of infection. Recomast reduces the expression of several pro-inflammatory cytokines and necrosis factors indicating the anti-inflammatory activity. It reduces the pain, swelling and inflammatory discharges which protects udder tissue and assists faster healing. Its analgesic activity of the herbal extract is comparable to that of NSAID’s.

Herbal preparation of Recomast gives analgesic effect along with anti-inflammatory action. It helps in curing inflammation of udder and minimizing oxidative stress systemically.
Recomast contains probiotic Lactobacillus strains which have potent immunomodulatory activity produced by stimulating local and systemic immune response. The direct fed microbial leads to large up-regulation of cytokines, chemokines and neutrophils capable of eliminating mastitis pathogens.

The trace mineral and nucleotides maintain the healthy keratin layer, prevents the entry of pathogen in the udder. Mixture of nucleotides are responsible to build new cells when millions of healthy cells are damaged due to the infection. It accelerates recovery from mastitis and prevents fibrosis formation.

• It is beneficial because it promotes:
• 1. Faster regeneration of the lost milk producing tissue in the udder
• 2. Reduces the somatic cell count of the milk and improves milk quality in 3-5 days
• 3. It reduces pain, swelling, and clinical signs of the mastitic udder
• 4. Reduces lactation stress and builds udder immunity after parturition
• 5. Prevents and cure mastitis without withdrawal period
• 6. Supportive to antibiotic therapy and rumen compatible
• 7. Saves extra medicinal costs. Recomast is a holistic preparation for maintaining udder function, improving milk quality and preventing mastitis. It is used at 20 grams per animal per day or 1 kg per MT of feed. Use Recomast and cure mastitis in a scientifically proven and cost effective way.