Why is First Defense the scours prevention everyone wants?

We were having a lot of problems with calf scours and then we heard about First Defense. We tried it, and now we don’t want anything else. It works great. We’ve been using the bolus since 2019. In a word, it’s awesome. You want to have it on your dairy all the time because there’s nothing better.

About seven years ago, we were having a serious problem with rotavirus and coronavirus. We were losing a lot of calves. Our veterinarian recommended administering First Defense to newborns. It took care of the problem and I couldn’t be happier. We’ve given First Defense to every heifer calf since.

Results from First Defense have been excellent. We used to have a scours problem in our first-calf heifers where we calve in a little more confinement. Since we’ve been using that product, we’ve had zero scours. It’s been an excellent product for us and we’ve eliminated any problems in our calves.

Prior to adding First Defense to our regimen, our calves would always run into problems with salmonella after having scours seven to 10 days after birth. We have been using First Defense at Cal Poly State University’s dairy unit and have seen calves getting through the first two weeks of life stage really successfully. We would recommend First Defense to anyone. This product is simple to administer and produces results.

Jon Leonardo

Leonardo Brothers Dairy

Selma, CA

Ranch wanted to use Calf-Guard, but belief in First Defense was much stronger.

Chris Parreira

Legendary Farms

Tipton, CA

We switched from a vaccine to Tri-Shield and soon cut our death loss by more than half and now have fewer health issues all the way around. Tri-Shield gives us the most scours protection we can give our calves. It’s actually cheaper for us to use First Defense.

Joe Rocha

Simoes Dairy

Tipton, CA

Saw a big, big improvement when calves were treated with First Defense.

Blain Jensen & Elizabeth Russell

Cal Poly State University

San Luis Obispo, CA

Love your product!

We’ve been on First Defense probably about three to four years. It’s worked really well and it’s reliable. One of the things I like about the First Defense is it’s got a blue dye in it to confirm the calf got it, so the first time calves go to the bathroom, you know that your maternity guys are doing the job that they’re supposed to be doing.

We milk about 1,000 cows, so you know healthy cows are everything. They’re your future and they’ve got a lot of value. We’ve used other scours products before and then we switched to First Defense. It’s cheap insurance to get that immunity boost into those calves and try to keep them healthy and alive. Calves add a lot of value these days, so it’s very important to get them off to a good start.

Tri-Shield is much easier to apply than a dam-level scours vaccine or Calf-Guard®. A one-step process with no waste on DOA’s or cows that don’t give colostrum.

Francisco Delgado

Scott Brothers Dairy

Chino, CA

We were a little bit skeptical at first, so we tried it on, like, 50 calves before we went completely on First Defense. It was so convenient that you could use it either before or after colostrum. We barely see any scours since we started using the product. It’s a good product. If you’re skeptical, try it like we did. We got good results.

Nuestros problemas con diarrea se reducieron cuando empezamos a usar este product.

Our pasteurized colostrum program is highly monitored. We routinely track bacterial count and solids. Our blood total proteins average 6.7 mg/ml. But Tri-Shield has an added effect over a quality colostrum program. Fewer calves shedding pathogens at the calf ranch protects not only our calves but all calves at the ranch.

Brad Scott

Scott Brothers Dairy

Moreno Valley, CA

Unsure at first but saw benefits right away.

Blain Jensen & Elizabeth Russell

Cal Poly State University

San Luis Obispo, CA

It doesn’t compete with the colostrum. It makes it better.

Marybelle

Eaton, CO

Nuestros terneros están más sanos, comen más cereales y beben más agua.

Sandy Boardman

Carolwood Farm LLC

Canaan, CT

Love the product – virtually zero percent mortality now.

Before I used First Defense I was administering several vaccines in unison. In talking with my veterinarian, I learned that those vaccines actually were cancelling one another out. That was more than 10 years ago. I switched to only First Defense and have been using it since.

Zach Damrow

Seagull Bay Dairy

American Falls, ID

First Defense definitely works extremely well. There’s definitely a big difference.

Mortality has gone way down. Nothing else we’ve used before has been effective against rotavirus.

First Defense is like an insurance policy that pays for itself in spades. Say you cut your death loss from, conservatively, 8 to 2 percent. If you have 300 calves a month, that’s 12 more calves a month or 144 calves a year more that you are able to raise. That fuels the growth of the whole dairy.

We purchased First Defense after having to deal with scours in our newborn calves one spring. Now we always use them on the calves from first-calf heifers, and any that are enclosed in the barn, or during extreme weather or damp conditions. Pretty pricey, but well worth it, as we haven’t had an issue with scours since!

Worth the investment for every single calf!

We have used First Defense on all our calves for 2 calving seasons and our scours problem has basically went away. In my opinion they pay for themselves!!

Austin Deardorff

Deardorff Farms

Macy, IN

When we went to using it on 100 percent of our heifer calves, that’s when we really saw the difference. Our worry was the expense, but the benefits completely outweigh that for us. Since then, we have had the best results in calves, and we’ve also been calving more calves than we probably ever have.

Great product, my calves are very healthy, will definitely keep using it.

Haven’t lost a calf for 7-8 years. Only a couple mild cases of scours in all those years. Recommend it.

We have been using first defense for 3 years now and have not lost any calves to scours.

Tri-Shield is highly effective and easy to deliver, without colostrum interference. I have received lots of positive feedback from my dairy customers who are using it. I also use Tri-Shield on our personal Angus herd and have had great results.

Evan Bleyenberg

Tri-State Calf Products

Sioux Center, IA

Tri-Shield is working well. We just had the best year we ever had preventing scours. It used to be that I’d walk 300 cows and find one or two every week that I needed to treat. Now I hardly treat, maybe one every two weeks.

It’s a great product for newborn calves. I wouldn’t have calves without having a supply of it on hand.

Dan Kullot, DVM

Syracuse Dairy

Syracuse, KS

We have been using First Defense for the last 3 to 4 years and are really happy with the product. For us it’s important, it’s a big investment and a huge return. The product is convenient and versatile. Knowing we have protection as soon as the calf hits the ground is satisfying and comforting. This product gives assurance.

Vicky Barker

Leeds, ME

Been using First Defense for 10 years and it’s a great product.

It is nice to see the blue manure. That way I know it got done!

Our cows calve every year in the same large holding pen which had also been used as a pen for bottle fed dairy calves that often arrived with scours. We no longer raise bottle babies, and we have eliminated scours in calves from our own cows using this product. I find the bolus easier than paste because I KNOW it’s all getting into the calf.

I bought First Defense boluses last winter when I had a major outbreak of scours. I had lost 3 calves to scours and was so scared and felt helpless. Bought some FD boluses and didn’t lose another calf. Going to use this product when we start calving this year and I have peace of mind that it will get the calves through any potential scours problems.

Tri-Shield is now a critical part of my healthy-calf protocols. This past spring was one of the wettest we’ve had and Tri-Shield played a vital role in keeping our calves healthy.

The thing that I like about First Defense is that you give it to the calf as soon as it’s born. There are some products on the market today that you have to give to the calf at birth and the recommendation is to wait 30 minutes or longer before you can feed colostrum. It’s so hard to tell a dairyman or a calf raiser to delay feeding colostrum when that’s the most important thing to give the calf.

Dan Kullot, DVM

Countryside Vet Clinic

Fullerton, NE

Really happy with the product. Comforting to have this assurance.

The First Defense product is a hyper-immunized colostrum. The antibodies are condensed down into a bolus. Once it gets into the gut, those antibodies are absorbed and help protect the calf. Calving areas can get used over and over. That second half of that calving season, there is probably a lot antigens built up – First Defense is great for providing some added protection.

I recommend producers implement First Defense in their calf protocols even when using cow scours vaccines. First Defense provides calves with consistent protection by delivering a timely and accurate dose of antibodies they need to avoid scours outbreaks.

Our day-one protocols are consistent and calf management top notch, but we were still able to see a significant reduction in treatment costs within those first two-weeks of life with First Defense.

We switched to Tri-Shield to get rotavirus coverage. Pretty much instantly, we stopped seeing calves having those scours events at 2 days and then again at 10 to 14. And again creating more vigorous calves. We then saw that when calves were off Tri-Shield, we went back to seeing the outbreaks.

What we saw was some scours but nothing that needed to be treated. Calves just worked right through it. Severity was significantly less. On average, Tri-Shield cut our treatment rate by at least two-thirds.

Tri-Shield is the most reliable way for us to prevent calf scours and it is the only thing we need to use.

Scott Partridge

Thorndell Farms

Batavia, NY

If there’s scours, it’s because the calf didn’t get First Defense. It pays for itself within a week.

Heather Whitten

Valley Mound Farms

Scipio Center, NY

Treat fewer calves. See more vigor. Never stop using it.

Over the years we layered in 3 different products, trying to prevent scours, but with Tri-Shield we eliminated all of those, and calf health is better than ever. Not often can we cut costs in half and improve, but Tri-Shield has done that for us.

Julia Houser

Brotherhood Farms

Easton, NY

First Defense pretty much eliminated scours.

Bobbi Wickham

Wickham Farm

Walton, NY

More healthy calves ever since starting with First Defense.

Bonnie Bargstedt

Wil Rock Farms

Kinderhook, NY

Happy First Defense customers. Thank you for a quality product. Part of standard operating procedure.

Stephanie Luders

Eagleview Dairy LLC

Bliss, NY

First Defense made a huge difference on the farm.

Thank God somebody has finally come up with an effective answer to the E-coli scours. No antibiotics could control it. Thank you!

We love our First Defense boluses. Every calf on our farm receives one of these within the first twelve hours after birth. We see a higher survival rate in our calves compared to other farms.

I give a bolus to every calf born from a heifer and any other calves born during extreme winter conditions. Rarely do they get scours and are extremely healthy; I truly believe it boosts their immune system. Well worth the investment!

We give this capsule to all of our newborn calves (if caught within 12 hours of birth) as prophylaxis. From a scientific standpoint, this treatment is a no-brainer – boosting the calf’s natural immunity at such a crucial time can only be a benefit. The capsules costs about $7 a piece, but to us, it is completely worth it. We have never lost a calf.

Diagnostics have shown rotavirus has been the cause of calf deaths in many herds, even well managed dairies that are very clean. Tri-Shield is our new tool of choice to prevent rotavirus scours.

Erica Caroll

Carroll Heifer Ranch / Creamline Farms

Milton Freewater, OR

Prevention is cheaper than treatment, so we will continue to use it.

We’ve seen a positive correlation between Tri-Shield and the health of our calves. We’ve been treating very few calves now, about half of what we were treating, and their recovery is much quicker. Overall we’re seeing much healthier animals, and it’s freed up our time for other work. We will definitely keep using Tri-Shield along with our other protocols.

With input from our herd veterinarian, we revamped our calf-care program by upgrading the vaccination protocol; switching from milk replacer to pasteurized waste milk; hired a calf-care manager and administered First Defense to every heifer calf shortly after birth. We now have just 2 to 3 percent pneumonia incidence and continue to use First Defense on every heifer calf.

John Proskine

Pleasant View Farms

Martinsburg, PA

Immediately after we started giving them Tri-Shield, we saw healthier, more vigorous calves that did not need treating.

We love having Tri-Shield. It’s about the assurance of scours protection. It’s going to help us have fewer treatments and overall better health and better gains in our calves.

We were having issues with E. coli; calves were dying within a day. We started using Tri-Shield. Immediately, the scours stopped, and we stopped losing calves. We haven’t had many losses since using Tri-Shield. I’ve been really happy with it.

Kevin Souza

Victory Farms

Milbank, SD

Our treatment rate went down from 60 percent to less than 10 percent.

Danny Cundiff

G2 Producers East Dairy

Dalhart, TX

We reduced scours incidence from 40 percent to 15 percent.

We had a legacy of rotavirus here. We couldn’t live without Tri-Shield. It’s good for our calves and our employees. We have used it since it came out and won’t ever stop.

Katie Grinstead

Vir-Clar Dairy

Fond du Lac, WI

Very happy with the results. Dropped scours rate by about 75 percent.

Laura Daniels

Heartwood Farms

Cobb, WI

Great results. Our calves are doubling birth rate by the time they’re weaning.

We had lots of issues with our calves before TRI-SHIELD. Lab results confirmed we were dealing with all three pathogens (E. coli, coronavirus, and rotavirus). Since we started TRI-SHIELD the calves have been doing much better. I haven’t lost a calf to scours in the past 9 months.

Jay Hall

Hall’s Calf Ranch

Kewaunee, WI

It’s working well. Calves are weaning earlier and eating grain better.

Cole Hoyer

Hoyer Farms

West Salem, WI

Seeing scours only occasionally since starting on First Defense.

I started using First Defense Tri-Shield paste and had an immediate reduction in scours in our calves. I went from around 100% scours rate to under 20%. Tri-Shield has really helped take the pressure off calf raising and has made it enjoyable again.