Chapter 1 · The problem · 1:20
The first week
Why the first week of life is a sensitive window for the calf: the gut is still being colonised and immunity from colostrum fades before the calf’s own immune system takes over.
Animation with on-screen text in English and background music; no narration.
Transcript
The first week. The window that shapes the rest of its life.
[A timeline runs from day 1 to day 7.]
Days 0 to 7 · The window of susceptibility. [A calf next to a chart of protection over the first seven days. The calf’s gut is not yet colonised. Immunity from colostrum (passive immunity) falls from day 0, while the calf’s own active immunity rises slowly. For a few days both lines are below the protective level: this is the window of susceptibility.]
Conceptual diagram, not data: colostrum fading, active immunity rising.
The cost of neonatal calf scour (USDA NAHMS Dairy 2014, US dairy farms, calves before weaning):
- 21.1% of pre-weaned calves have scour: 1 in 5 falls ill.
- 56.4% of deaths are due to scour: more than half of deaths.
- 71.8% of cases are treated with antibiotics: almost 3 in 4.
The cost · a second source. Scour is the most common cause of illness and death in milk-fed calves: 67.7% of deaths in the first month (post-mortem study, Poland).
What is a postbiotic? · ISAPP definition 2021. A postbiotic is “a preparation of inanimate microorganisms and/or their components that confers a health benefit on the host” (Salminen et al. 2021, Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol, ISAPP consensus). It contains inanimate cells, their components and metabolites. No live cells: more stable, with fewer safety risks.
Mechanism · strengthening the gut barrier. [Gut wall cells between the lumen (outside) and the tissue (inside). Pathogens cross the barrier; after the postbiotic, the tight junctions are sealed (occludin, ZO-1) and the villi are longer.] Mechanism described for the species L. plantarum in piglets. Proprietary BAL-Ingulados strains, characterised in international scientific publications.
Product analysis · Ingulados. Short-chain fatty acids (butyric, propionic, acetic) make up about 20% of the preparation. It contains 7 bacteriocins active against E. coli. They arrive ready-made, with no fermenting in the gut: short-chain fatty acids and bacteriocins.
On-farm results · two species.
- Calves, Ingulados trial (n = 693, p = 0.0023): −64.6% in mortality in milk-fed calves, treated group vs control.
- Lambs, CICYTEX 2022 (Extremadura public research centre, Tierras Ovino 2022): +23% average daily gain and −19% feed conversion ratio.
Weeks later. [A healthy calf in a field.] The first week shapes the rest of its life.
[Ingulados logo.]