HERFS/AUTUMN BONUS TYDSKRIF 2026

Could a proprietary ionic stabilised hydrogen peroxide solution be a life saver? With foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) ripping through the country, calve mortality is rapidly rising due to “tiger heart” – a genetic heart condition brought on by myocardial necrosis that leads to severe heart muscle damage (myocarditis). This causes sudden death in young calves (2–9 months), affecting both beef and dairy herds. By removing the calves from the cows straight after calving and implementing the following protocol, you could ensure a calf’s survival: 1. Treat your herd’s water with Peroxsil ® . 2. Disinfect the herd, their pens, and feed troughs every 14 days by adding Peroxsil ® to a spray machine or fire fighter unit. 3. Dry the cows off after calving and disinfect calving area and udder with Peroxsil ® . 4. Feed colostrum or colostrum replacer for the first 12 hours. 5. After the calves reach 12 hours, use Ladismith Poeier surrogate to raise them to weaner age. Peroxsil ® is an ultra-stabilised hydrogen peroxide solution that is designed to protect your livestock. You can significantly boost your farm’s hygiene and productivity by adding Peroxsil ® to your animals’ drinking water or follow the steps previously set out in order to protect your calves from contracting diseases. Peroxsil® is also a powerful surface disinfectant effective on floors, equipment, and animal skin. It furthermore controls airborne diseases and is ideal for sheds, incubators, and more. With a 99,9999% efficacy (ARC tested) in eliminating FMD virus in drinking water, Peroxsil® is a formidable ally in killing FMD, improving herd immunity, and boosting overall production. Clean water equals healthy animals. “Too frequent feeding of too much milk replacer can lead to abdominal induced milk bloat. It is essential to also provide sufficient, clean drinking water.” Ensure your milk replacer is developed to support the maturation of a newborn calf’s developing digestive tract and contributes to their proper development from the very beginning. Here are some main aspects to consider when choosing a calf milk replacer: • A calf milk replacer must be formulated from quality ingredients. • The fat and protein content of calf milk replacers can be used to quantify the nutritive value relative to whole milk. • It is important that producers understand the mixing strengths when preparing calf milk replacers for feeding calves. • Calf milk replacers and whole milk behave differently during digestion in the abomasum. www.agribonus.co.za Herfs/Autumn 2026 BONUS 105