“Even a cow with severe udder health problems can be brought back to an acceptable level”.
Bertus and Tineke Zwijnenburg proudly show off their Vreugdenhil statuettes: five years of first-class milk in a row. A remarkable achievement, especially when Bertus tells us that things were very different six years ago. There were many udder health problems that they could not solve. How did they manage to tackle the problems? The dairy farmers from Papekop in Utrecht will be happy to tell you!
“Bertus is never going to do that”, said Tineke when specialist Wim Streefland first drove onto the farm six years ago with the AHV solutions. Because of udder health problems that seemed unsolveable, Bertus and Tineke decided to give AHV a chance. And with success – in fact, the Zwijnenburg family are now enthusiastic experts and have already brought many neighbours and fellow farmers into contact with the AHV solutions. “Dairy farmers see what it does to our cows here, it is really remarkable”, says Bertus satisfied .
Incredible how quickly you see improvement in udder health
Zwijnenburg is achieving remarkably good health results with the AHV approach. Six years ago they were very dissatisfied with the somatic cell count. “We then started using the AHV Quick Tablet and AHV Extra Tablet with cows that had been given a special attention. Gradually, I saw the cows improve and the problems diminish”, Bertus recalls, who is now very satisfied with the somatic cell count (80). Meanwhile, the udder health of Zwijnenburg’s 65-strong herd is excellent. “I am 100% on top of it”, says Bertus, who gives cows immediate attention based on milk recording data. “One AHV Extra Tablet is often enough to tackle problems.” Even a cow with severe udder health problems according to milk recording data, can Bertus get back to an acceptable level. “I then give them an AHV Quick Tablet, the AHV Aspi, in addition to the AHV Extra Tablet. It is amazing how quickly you can see an improvement. Bertus now only uses AHV solutions for udder health. The vet is now only involved on the farm for dehorning and caesarean sections.
“It is just unimaginable how quickly it works for udder health problems.”
Ten-year-old cow back on its feet
“You have to learn to work with the AHV solutions,” says Wim Streefland of AHV. “With our Quorum Sensing technique, the biofilm in the cow’s body is loosened, allowing the cow’s immune system to clear it up itself. This works differently to regular remedies, and you can also see this in the cow. That is why we really work together with the farmer and why the farmer needs to have proper guidance”, he says. That intensive guidance is clearly visible when you look at the WhatsApp conversations between Wim and Bertus. Videos of twins, a cow that is not starting properly or another problem can be found there. After Wim advises which solution Bertus can use for this, the videos of energetic, eating cows soon follow. Cow 36 is a good example. A ten year old cow that had a tough calving, which made her not want to stand up anymore. “Thanks to AHV Milk Start and AHV Aspi, we got her through it,” says Bertus, showing the cow now walking among the herd again.
“The advantage of AHV is also your contact with your personal specialist. You do not have to wait long for your specialist to arrive. If necessary, AHV will also contact a vet. In this way I can be sure that I am getting the best health advice.”
“The calves are so fit, they almost jump out of the pen.”
No diarrhoea among the calves
Bertus and Tineke’s newborn calves are in good shape. They are robust, developed calves with a shiny coat of hair. “They are growing well,” the cattle dealer regularly tells them. The animals are fed cow’s milk with AHV Calf Start. “This supports the health of the intestines and can be used against thin manure,” Wim explains. “The calves are so fit, they almost jump out of the pen,” says Bertus with a smile, who now no longer suffers from thin manure in the calves. The calves can always go to the dealer after two weeks. It is clear: Bertus and Tineke are enthusiastic users of the AHV solutions. Whether it is a claw problem, udder health problem, heavy calving or difficult start-up, they immediately apply the AHV solution.
“And if I don’t know what problem the cow has or which product to administer, I can always call Wim, that is nice,” says Bertus. “We do not like the regular stressful products, besides, our dairy cattle can now continue to produce. The AHV solutions also just seem better to me for the health of the farmer and animal. After all, you want a healthy cow, both for animal welfare and ultimately for consumption”, thinks Zwijnenburg.
“Fewer udder health problems, healthy cows and pleasant work. Those are the real advantages of AHV for us. Also because I can give the tablets when Bertus is not around. I cannot administer other regular products myself, but I can easily administer a tablet in the mouth myself,” Tineke adds to her husband.
“Fewer udder health problems, healthy cows and pleasant work. Those are the real advantages of AHV for us.”
Animal health is the number one priority for Utrecht stockbreeders
The welfare and health of their animals is important to the Utrecht stockbreeders. “If there are health problems among our animals it really makes me sick”, says Bertus. This spring, when the lambs and sheep were having problems and the vet could not find a good solution, Bertus was at a loss. “Suddenly I thought of Wim”, says Bertus who also used the AHV products for his sheep. “That went great”, says Tineke, who fortunately was able to save the rest of the sheep and lambs. Wim does indicate that with goats and sheep a different method of working is needed. He always asks his colleague Fleur for advice. “Fleur knows exactly what needs to be done with goats and sheep, so one phone call was enough to know what would work with the Zwijnenburg family,” says Wim.
Thanks to the stock of AHV products, they can help their animals at any time, with or without Wim’s advice. Because as Bertus concludes: “There is no better advice than having stock”.
About the dairy farm
Two years ago, Bertus and Tineke Zwijnenburg moved from Gouderak, where they had to make way for nature, to Papekop. On 34 hectares of peatland, they keep 65 dairy and veal cows, 30 young cattle and 20 sheep, together with their children. Bertus also runs a contracting company together with his brothers. The annual average is 8,000 kg of milk with 4.45% fat, 3.37% protein and 4.52% lactose, which the cows realise on a complete grass ration with concentrated feed. The somatic cell count is 80 and the daily animal dose is close to zero.
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“The calves are so fit, they almost jump out of the pen.”
No diarrhoea among the calves
Bertus and Tineke’s newborn calves are in good shape. They are robust, developed calves with a shiny coat of hair. “They are growing well,” the cattle dealer regularly tells them. The animals are fed cow’s milk with AHV Calf Start. “This supports the health of the intestines and can be used against thin manure,” Wim explains. “The calves are so fit, they almost jump out of the pen,” says Bertus with a smile, who now no longer suffers from thin manure in the calves. The calves can always go to the dealer after two weeks. It is clear: Bertus and Tineke are enthusiastic users of the AHV solutions. Whether it is a claw problem, udder health problem, heavy calving or difficult start-up, they immediately apply the AHV solution.
“And if I don’t know what problem the cow has or which product to administer, I can always call Wim, that is nice,” says Bertus. “We do not like the regular stressful products, besides, our dairy cattle can now continue to produce. The AHV solutions also just seem better to me for the health of the farmer and animal. After all, you want a healthy cow, both for animal welfare and ultimately for consumption”, thinks Zwijnenburg.
“Fewer udder health problems, healthy cows and pleasant work. Those are the real advantages of AHV for us. Also because I can give the tablets when Bertus is not around. I cannot administer other regular products myself, but I can easily administer a tablet in the mouth myself,” Tineke adds to her husband.
“Fewer udder health problems, healthy cows and pleasant work. Those are the real advantages of AHV for us.”
Animal health is the number one priority for Utrecht stockbreeders
The welfare and health of their animals is important to the Utrecht stockbreeders. “If there are health problems among our animals it really makes me sick”, says Bertus. This spring, when the lambs and sheep were having problems and the vet could not find a good solution, Bertus was at a loss. “Suddenly I thought of Wim”, says Bertus who also used the AHV products for his sheep. “That went great”, says Tineke, who fortunately was able to save the rest of the sheep and lambs. Wim does indicate that with goats and sheep a different method of working is needed. He always asks his colleague Fleur for advice. “Fleur knows exactly what needs to be done with goats and sheep, so one phone call was enough to know what would work with the Zwijnenburg family,” says Wim.
Thanks to the stock of AHV products, they can help their animals at any time, with or without Wim’s advice. Because as Bertus concludes: “There is no better advice than having stock”.
About the dairy farm
Two years ago, Bertus and Tineke Zwijnenburg moved from Gouderak, where they had to make way for nature, to Papekop. On 34 hectares of peatland, they keep 65 dairy and veal cows, 30 young cattle and 20 sheep, together with their children. Bertus also runs a contracting company together with his brothers. The annual average is 8,000 kg of milk with 4.45% fat, 3.37% protein and 4.52% lactose, which the cows realise on a complete grass ration with concentrated feed. The somatic cell count is 80 and the daily animal dose is close to zero.
Curious about the solutions of AHV? Leave your details and an advisor will contact you!
Check out the benefits and customer experiences of AHV’s solutions:
