Fieldays Product Launch:
New prebiotic offers stress-free calf rearing
A unique new prebiotic product is set to boost calf health this season, saving calf rearers valuable time and money.
Opticell® Plus Ultra Fine – a naturally derived prebiotic fibre (lignocellulose) - is being made available for the first
time in New Zealand by BEC Feed Solutions.
Renowned in Europe for its numerous benefits to the calf and calf rearer, Opticell® is being officially launched by BEC
at next month’s Mystery Creek Fieldays, in advance of peak calf rearing season.
As a manufacturer and supplier of high quality animal nutrition products, BEC says Opticell® provides premium support
for healthy gut function of calves from day one. The product offers distinct benefits to calves, by supporting a healthy
gut and aiding the transition onto new feeding regimes which in turn, helps to minimise nutritional scours. Calf rearers
benefit from cost and time efficiencies, plus healthy, content calves.
“The value of Opticell® in calf rearing has been proven in Europe, where it has gained a favourable reputation as an
effective, natural, non-medicated approach to supporting calf health, growth & nutrition,” says Jen McCarty, Technical Services Officer for BEC NZ.
“We’re delighted to introduce Opticell® to the New Zealand market, and look forward to sharing its many benefits with
calf rearers at Fieldays,” adds Ms McCarty.
Developed and manufactured in Europe, Opticell® is designed for inclusion in Calf Milk Replacer (CMR) or Whole Milk. It
effectively nurtures and promotes ‘Eubiosis’ or a ‘good balance’ of microbes within the digestive tract. Opticell® also
encourages natural water absorption in the colon, resulting in improved faecal quality.
Calf benefits
• Provides selective, beneficial microorganisms (prebiotic) in the hind gut, which produce volatile fatty acids (VFA’s).
These are quickly absorbed, delivering energy to the calf, leading to increased growth and development.
• Provides lactobacillus bacteria, which produce lactic acid. These reduce the pH of the hind gut, discouraging growth
of pathogenic bacteria.
• Supports water absorption in the colon; Opticell® does not act like a sponge and dehydrate the calf.
• Regulates the passage of milk through the digestive tract, increasing satiety, meaning calves stay content for longer.
Calf rearer benefits:
• Easy to calculate at 25g/calf/day throughout rearing.
• Helps ease transition from colostrum to whole milk, or CMR.
• Helps transition from twice a day feeding to once a day, minimising nutritional scours.
• Increased and early feed intake and increased calf weight at weaning
• Increased satiety – content calves for longer. Less navel sucking.
• Reduced incidence of nutritional scours, medical intervention and less time spent nursing unwell calves.
Opticell® samples will be on display throughout Fieldays at the BEC stand, located in the Mystery Creek Pavilion, Stand
PE28. Product experts will also be available to offer technical advice and support relating to Opticell®, as well as the
full range of BEC nutritional products, including the Bolifor® Magnesium range, plus the new Main Stay Mineral Pack
range including Phosphorus options.
Opticell® will be available nationwide in 25kg bags from BEC. Customers can order BEC products at Fieldays to take
advantage of Fieldays special deals. For more information see www.becfeedsolutions.co.nz or call 0800 BEC 001.
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