Keeping cows healthy has become easy

A herd in Himmerland, Denmark, has gone from major health challenges, especially with metabolism, to a super healthy herd. This has been done by putting traditional methods on the shelf and using AHV instead.

Fewer cows culled than before

“No more cows need to be culled,” says Kristine Bloch enthusiastically. The last time I had to log into Daka (Danish data collection system), a message came up saying that we are now among the best five per cent in the country with our farm,” she says with a big smile and pride in her voice.

Kristine Bloch is operational manager at MHD Farming near Løgstør in northern Denmark, a dairy farm with 470 cows. Going back one year, she and the rest of the team were struggling. The animals’ health was lagging, especially in the period just before and just after calving. There were constant metabolic challenges, she explains. This meant that, besides countless calls to the vet, she spent a lot of time taking care of the cows and getting them healthy. “It was so tough and difficult, and we didn’t actually get anywhere” she says from the feeding table in the barn.

It sounded easy; no waiting for milk or meat

A search for a simpler solution led her to AHV. “What attracted me was that it sounded very simple,” says Kristine. AHV’s solutions are a powder, paste or bolus and are given orally. At the same time, all products are registered as animal feed and there is no waiting period on milk or meat.

Ease of use and benefits

From the start, Kristine experienced a huge benefit in terms of ease of work. “It’s just so easy because it’s simple to administer. We have a bolus shooter which can shoot three boluses at once,” she explains enthusiastically.

This meant that the cows that used to face metabolic challenges and sometimes did not survive, were now a thing of the past. “AHV products have been a very big part of the improvement here since February 2022, when we started using the products. Of course, we have also made more profit because of our proactive attitude, at the same time we now have time and money to really work hard on our management. The effect we have seen is definitely a combination of different things, but I have no doubt that the products have meant a huge amount to our success and animal health.” Says Kristine Bloch.

Coming off the placenta greatly improved

Nowadays, the vet only visits for health visits and MHD Farming almost exclusively uses AHV products to keep the herd in top condition. To a large extent, this is related to the start of lactation, but also to other health challenges. “We are very happy with the AHV Uterine Health Program. Soon after we give the AHV Metri Bolus, the afterbirth comes off and there are no more challenges with that cow in terms of uterine health,” Kristine explains.

Tackling udder health

“We also still use the AHV Udder Health Program. We have never really had any major challenges with somatic cell count, but we have had a few cows with reduced udder health. I usually only tackle the cow once now. And we actually see that once is also enough. Very occasionally, I still like to tackle them twice, but we no longer have cows that keep coming back,” Kristine explains. Recently, the young farm manager also started using the AHV Calf Rearing Program.

Financially responsible

Kristine keeps a close eye on her finances. “I order products for a month and that is a big bill, but that would also be the case with the vet or when buying other products.” We have found that when the vet comes, it costs about the same as using the AHV products. Moreover, we need far fewer repeats and lose far fewer cows. In addition, all the milk is allowed into the tank, the somatic cell count is stable and the yield is increasing,” she laughs. Seeing healthy cows every day gives her immense satisfaction and motivation.

“We now have time to do some work that we did not do before. We are constantly making small improvements and have much more resources to focus on all animals, not just those with challenges. Now we detect challenges at an early stage and can also take action faster,” she explains. 

Different colors make administration easy

Despite many products with different purposes, Kristine quickly found the overview. “It’s very simple. It’s so clever that they give each product its own color, you can just tell one of the other staff members to give the cow a blue bolus, for example,” she says, pointing out that in addition to the color of the box, each individual bolus is packaged, for example, in yellow (AHV Extra), red (AHV Quick) or blue (AHV Booster) plastic. The health improvements have Kristina excited. “We are trying out something new now, also with AHV’s products, and are constantly learning how the products work best for us,” she says, making no secret of the fact that she searches for the best health working method with AHV’s solutions.

The cow needs to have enough energy

The AHV Booster is Kristine Bloch’s favorite product. It is a product for energy which is available as a bolus or a drench, depending on whether the cow needs immediate energy or a longer-lasting energy boost.

“I can give a bolus to a cow just before calving and then maybe supplement with the Milk Start paste just after calving so that she has a good start to lactation,” she explains, stating that it is important in every way that the cow has enough energy. “We had a group of cows that had been fed feed that was not optimal. Every day I had to encourage them to go to the milking robots, day after day. I agreed with myself to give them all an AHV Booster Bolus, and since then I haven’t had to encourage them to go to the milking robots at all,” Kristine laughs.

This is how AHV works

AHV solutions help optimize cow and calf health. The products’ mechanism of action is based on the science of “Quorum Sensing.” This is about how bacteria can communicate and cooperate with each other. AHV technology breaks down the biofilm, after which the cow’s immune system is supported and can clean up the bacteria itself and you don’t kill the good bacteria which often happens when you use traditional methods.

With AHV protocols, it is extremely important to use the products correctly and use them on time. The earlier you start, the higher the success rate.