Coccidiosis

[JCfarmer]

Hi I don't post much on the livestock threads, we have had started to have some trouble with cocci this last month in the calves. We run sucklers and the calves are outside with their mothers on grass. About a month after turn out (early April) we had one with it(died) and since had another 2 and not in the same group or on the same fields. The 2 have been drenched with vecoxan but concerned more may get infected. Has anyone had much trouble this year? We have never had a problem before and it has caught us by surprise to be honest.
Are their some licks or what are the best licks to buy to prevent anymore cases?
Experiences/ advice appreciated. Thanks

 

[Optimus]

We have cocci every year.never used to but over the past 10 years its got worse.
Turn cows an calves out after calving.around about now it starts to show.calves start to scour, look a bit off.if there bad they start to sh!t blood.bring them all in dose with vecoxan and worm.usually never have a problem after this.do all my lambs too

There is a new alternative to vecoxan which is the same but cheaper.

 

[pine_guy]

@Lackey be worth following this thread after tonight’s discussion

 

[An Gof]

We have cocci every year.never used to but over the past 10 years its got worse.
Turn cows an calves out after calving.around about now it starts to show.calves start to scour, look a bit off.if there bad they start to sh!t blood.bring them all in dose with vecoxan and worm.usually never have a problem after this.do all my lambs too

There is a new alternative to vecoxan which is the same but cheaper.

Do you know what the vecoxxan alternative is called.
They really took advantage a couple of years ago with a massive price rise for vecoxxan ?

 

[Short_Angus]

Do you know what the vecoxxan alternative is called.
They really took advantage a couple of years ago with a massive price rise for vecoxxan ?

Dycoxan, its same drug as Vecoxan

 

[Fendt65]

Same thing here I bought a bunch of cow’s with calves had 3 calves with cocci treated them (with vet) but lost all 3,didn’t treat anymore as they looked healthy and are fine.calving percentage took a hit though!.be more interested in preventing though.

 

[andybk]

downland do a version as well but only a few £ cheaper than vecoxin , the costs are shocking mainly to do with re-newing licensing costs when original ones run out , they are cheap to produce ,
well proven historical drugs should be cheaper to renew because all it does is force us to use new lines of defence that should be kept until its needed ,

 

[Optimus]

Do you know what the vecoxxan alternative is called.
They really took advantage a couple of years ago with a massive price rise for vecoxxan [emoji35]

Dycoxan , should start a price war between them an should go lower yet.its expensive stuff.

 

[AGN76]

We dose all ours at 5 weeks with Vecoxan. So far, touch wood, not had a case since this.

 

[AftonShepherd]

We dose all ours at 5 weeks with Vecoxan. So far, touch wood, not had a case since this.

Likewise, as we have had it bad in the past. Normally have one or two starting to show signs by the time they're old enough to dose but been a while.since we had one get really ill with it. I think I worked it out at about £4 a calf which isn't much compared to a dead calf or one that is always playing catch up.

 

[Farmer Fin]

Hi I don't post much on the livestock threads, we have had started to have some trouble with cocci this last month in the calves. We run sucklers and the calves are outside with their mothers on grass. About a month after turn out (early April) we had one with it(died) and since had another 2 and not in the same group or on the same fields. The 2 have been drenched with vecoxan but concerned more may get infected. Has anyone had much trouble this year? We have never had a problem before and it has caught us by surprise to be honest.
Are their some licks or what are the best licks to buy to prevent anymore cases?
Experiences/ advice appreciated. Thanks

It’s a pain of a disease. The oocytes (eggs if you like) can live in the soil for a long time. All calves lambs get it just depends on dose / strength of the calf. If you have one in a batch with it then you need to treat the lot as it will be holding the others back slightly lowering growth rates whilst they get natural immunity to it.
Sucklers usually have to be drenched as they won’t take enough creep or licks to be effective, plus giving creep to that age calve is probably not cost effective. The risk with drenching is that the youngest calves may not have had a high enough exposure as they are not grazing enough yet to build enough immunity hence why you can get cases afterwards, it can also be a dosing issue as well.
There are now several versions of decoxan which will bring the price of them all down. There is also Baycox which is a different drug and several versions of this. Both have pros and cons.

 

[andybk]

anyone have any feedback on the brimicombe imuherb tubs (non script) , for cocci