Off Test Report conducted by Leachman Cattle of Colorado

This cattle trial was performed primarily, to determine the effects of adding Balancer2 to the water supply on average daily gains, derived from feed conversion efficiency. Also observed, but not measured, were overall health of each group and water consumption rates. The trial was set to run for approximately 90 days.

The cattle used in this trial are not your average everyday sale barn cattle. The calves used were derivatives of the same ranch, in the same pastures, in the same environmental conditions. The entire herd was brought down from the mountain top and calves were pulled from cows. The calves were hand-sorted, with an even mix of steers and heifers in each group. There were 74 head in the treated group, 75 head in the control group.

Each individual calf was processed with appropriate herd health protocol, then weighed and documented and grouped into two separate pens – treated (Pen 33) and control (Pen 32). The treated cattle had 1 gallon of Balancer2 per 100 gallons of water in their reservoir every time the water was filled, whereas the control group had none. Trial start date was September 16, 2020.

On November 12, 2020, the calves were all run across the scale, individually, and weights were documented. This was 56 days post start. One calf within each group died in late October which is noted on the data. In order to maintain data integrity of each group, the start weights of the two deceased calves were excluded from the final report, bringing the total number of head in each group to 73 (treated) and 74 (control). The final weights were recorded on December 12, 2020, 30 days post mid-weight, using the same method as previously mentioned, ending the trial. For ease of explanation of the data, we will be discussing averages for each group (treated and control) collectively.

Feed was weighed each day so that each group had the same quantity per head. The "Treated" group gained on average, 2.80 lbs/hd/day versus the "Control" group's 2.69 lbs/hd/day during the first 56 days. The gain difference is +0.11 lbs/hd/day for the treated group. During the last 30 days, the treated group gained an average of 2.72 lbs/hd/day compared to the control group's 2.57 lbs/hd/day. Again, there is a positive difference of +0.15 lbs/hd/day in the treated group.

The project manager did state that the treated cattle seemed to eat better with less bawling, and definitely consumed more water. The water volumes were not presented for this report, but he stated they had to fill the troughs more often for the treated cattle. This is important for a producer because as we know, when a calf gets sick, he goes off feed and water causing malnourishment and dehydration. When a calf is not getting the nutrients he needs to heal, he usually dies.

Because these cattle were native to that ranch and were from a well-managed commercial herd, the sickness was less than one would typically find in cattle bought at a sale barn. The primary stress in this group was from weaning. The results were in-line what we expected to find, because of the exceptional herd management protocol. With the feed rationed to the same quantity per animal per day, we can emphatically note that the feed conversion rate was increased within the treated calves, that was presumably a direct result of stress reduction.

That extra 15 to 30 lbs can be the difference between making it or breaking it...

“Had these been cattle purchased through a sale barn, we would've expected the gain differences to be significantly greater. But you know, these were really, really nice healthy calves to start with. If you're rolling stocker calves every 3 months, that extra 15 to 30 lbs can be the difference between making it or breaking it. I was satisfied with what we were able to learn from this trial and look forward to more in the future.”

Jackie Dayberry, President, Wind River Microbes Inc