The place for continuing education credits, research and more

What you know can help you improve what you do. We regularly share primary and secondary research, write about calf health, and post other educational information useful to your work.

CE Credit Courses Product Administration Scours Research Calf Health Articles Calf Care Education – ISU Chris Chase Podcast

Continuing Education Courses

First Defense Learning Center

Welcome to the First Defense Learning Center. Here you will find valuable courses to fulfill CE credits. We will continue to add courses that our clients find valuable. Your feedback is always important to us, so please fill out the survey at the end of the course. If you have any questions, please reach out to us on our contact us page.

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How to Administer Our Products

Tips for the best way to give First Defense products to your calves.

Watch a video and download fact sheets to learn the safe and easy way to give the First Defense bolus or gel tube to your calves. In just four easy steps, you can give your calves immediate immunity from the most common scours pathogens. If you don’t already have a First Defense balling gun, call us at 1-800-466-8235 and we’ll send one to you free of charge.

Watch Bobbi Jo Brockmann, our Senior VP of Sales and Marketing, help administer the First Defense bolus to a calf.

Read how to administer the First Defense bolus:

Download PDF

Instrucciones para administrar bolos

Para obtener una pistola para bolos en forma gratuita, llame al 800.466.8235.

Descargar Instrucciones

Instruction for administering the First Defense gel tube to a calf.

Read how to administer the First Defense bolus gel:

Download PDF

Video instrucciones para administrar un tubo de gel.

Instrucciones para administrar un tubo de gel

Administre despues del Nacimiento para conferir inmunidad inmediata con una cantidad garantizada de anticuerpos en cada dosis.

Descargar Instrucciones

Watch a quick how-to for mixing First Defense Technology, the 90-dose bulk powder, with a colostrum bag.

Educational Materials

Try to learn something every day.
Trata de aprender algo todos los dias.

Do you want to know more about automatic feeders, colostrum, equipment cleaning, and minimizing newborn calve stress? We might be able to help. The generous people over at Iowa State University Extension and Outreach have allowed us to bring their educational materials to you.

Calf Care Videos

Automatic Feeders

  1. Automatic Calf Feeder Management
  2. Automatic Calf Feeder Facilities
  3. Automactic Calf Feeder Nutrition
  4. Automatic Calf Feeder Health
  5. Automatic Calf Feeder Cleaning & Sanitation
  6. Automatic Calf Feeder Summary

Colostrum

  1. Passive Immunity
  2. Processing Newborn Calves
  3. Harvest & Storage of Colostrum
  4. Evaluation of Colostrum Quality
  5. Recommended Colostrum Feeding Techniques
  6. Using the Esophageal Tube Feeder
  7. Evaluation of Protein Absorption from Colostrum

Equipment Cleanliness

  1. Environments for Pathogens
  2. Monitoring Hygiene

Minimize Stress and Fear

  1. Intro to Calf Handling
  2. Flight Zone in Newborn Calves
  3. Point of Balance in Newborn Calves
  4. Newborn Calf Handling
  5. Heat & Cold Stress in Newborn Calves
  6. Transportation Newborn Calves

Calf Care Guideline Documents

Topics

  1. Automatic Feeder Management
  2. Colostrum
  3. Equipment Cleanliness
  4. Nutrition
  5. Minimize Stress & Fear

Videos de Cuidado de Terneras

Maquina de alimentacion automatica

  1. Manejo del alimentado automatico para terneras
  2. Instalaciones para alojamiento en grupo
  3. Consideraciones nutricionales y de salud
  4. Limpieza y sanitizacion de alimnetadores automaticos

Calostro

  1. Inmunidad pasiva
  2. Procesando becerros recien nacidos
  3. Colecta y almacenaje de calostro
  4. Evaluacion de la calidad del calostro
  5. Tecnicas recomendadas de alimentacion del calostro
  6. Uso apropiado de un alimentador esofagico
  7. Evaluacion de la absorcion de proteinas del calostro

Equipo de limpieza

  1. Importancia de la higiene
  2. Evaluacion de la limpieza en area de alimentacion de etrneras

Minimizar el estres y el miedo

  1. Importancia del manejo de bajo estres
  2. Determinacion de la zona de fuga y definicion del punto de equilibrio
  3. Manejo de terneras recien nacidas
  4. Estres calorico e hipotermico
  5. Transporte y movimiento de terneras

Documentos de Pautas Para el Cuidado de Terneros

Temas

  1. Calostro
  2. Equipo de limpieza
  3. Nutricion
  4. Minimizar el estres y el miedo

Podcast

On The Road, with Dr. Chris Chase

  1. Episode 1 – Antibodies vs. Vaccines. 3:21
  2. Episode 2 – How are feed supplements and veterinary biologics regulated, plus do egg antibodies work? 5:40
  3. Episode 3 – Why would you use a dam-level scours vaccine for winter dysentery? 2:19
  4. Episode 4 – No vaccine negative side effects, no positive results 3:44
  5. Episode 5 – Oral scours vaccines and prophylactic use of an antibiotic for young calves – worth it or not? 6:08
  6. Episode 6 – Antibody class switching explained. 5:39
  7. Episode 7 – Changes in the veterinary world and Chris’s advice for practicing veterinarians. 5:58
  8. Episode 8 – The data on dam-level scours vaccines, plus vaccine administration compliance. 5:26
  9. Episode 9 – Are you in the prevention or treatment camp? 3:34

Dr. Chris Chase

World-renowned immunology expert, professor in the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences SDSU, researcher focused on the initial events of viral infections to develop better methods for preventing virus infections in animals.