We all know Spring calving season is full on. Every hour counts, and when you're rearing calves, it's easy to get caught up in the noise, complicated routines, endless products, and pressure to do everything just right. But when it comes to raising healthy, robust calves the best results often come from keeping it simple.
In the first month of life calves are laying the foundations for their entire future. The most important job is building strong natural immunity. Here’s how we keep things straightforward while giving calves the best possible start.
Colostrum – The Golden Start
The first feeds are the most important. Ideally, calves should receive good quality, gold colostrum within the first 2 hours of life. It’s packed full of antibodies that help kickstart immunity and support gut health.
When calves first come into the shed, we recommend adding Travel Combo to their colostrum, AM and PM. This gentle homeopathic support helps calves adjust to the stress of birth, transport, and new environments, supporting calmness and assisting to settle.
Day 2 Onwards – Routine and Consistency
From Day 2, we want calves to settle into a consistent routine; same time, same temperature, same feed. Calves thrive on rhythm.
This is when we introduce SC Combo, one capful once daily into the bulk milk. SC Combo is a homeopathic blend that assist general gut health, digestion, and immune resilience during that critical early period. It’s simple, cost effective and can be added straight into the milk for easy delivery to the whole shed.
Don’t Forget Water
Even in those early milk fed days, access to clean, fresh water is essential. Calves start nibbling and exploring early, and water supports digestion, hydration and rumen development.
If you’re dealing with warmer weather, scours, or calves that are a bit dull, we suggest adding China off to the water in the pens. It’s a homeopathic remedy traditionally used to assist fluid balance and recovery from dehydration.
Building Immunity Naturally
Young calves are vulnerable to a range of common bugs — Rotavirus, Coccidiosis, Cryptosporidium, Salmonella, E. coli and the best protection is strong natural immunity.
To assist with this we recommend our range of nosodes. These homeopathics can be used as part of a preventative programme, offered in milk or water to help the immune system recognise and respond to threats. Think of them as an additional tool in the toolkit - not a cure, but a natural primer for the immune system.
Extra Support for a Strong Start
If calves need a bit of a lift, maybe after a tough birth when bought in from another farm or when things get busy in the shed we also recommend Tub aviare. It’s a homeopathic remedy that assists the immune system with a gentle boost.
Simple to use, it can be added into milk or given orally (with a mist spray bottle) when extra support is needed.
Administration: one capful in bulk milk or one spray on nose of individuals twice daily for 2 days only.
Clean, Calm, and Consistent
Beyond feeding, the basics still matter:
Clean, dry bedding and good airflow
Regular cleaning of pens, troughs, and teats
Minimising stress and noise during handling
Daily visual checks — if a calf looks “off”, act early
A Simple System That Works
Raising healthy calves doesn’t need to be complicated. With a bit of planning and a consistent routine, most of the hard work is done. Natural supports like Travel Combo, SC Combo, nosodes, and China off fit easily into your existing system. No extra steps, and no stress.
They work alongside your good farming practices to assist the calf’s own natural ability to stay well.
Want Help Setting Up a Simple Calf Plan?
We’re here to help you build a straightforward, effective, homeopathic system using natural tools. If you'd like guidance on how to integrate these products into your calf routine, just get in touch — we’ll keep it practical, simple, and farm-friendly.
