Bucks farmers beat crypto outbreak after losing 23% of calves

Ollie East and his partner Lucy Clark of East Livestock, Buckinghamshire, faced a costly and devastating issue in February 2023, when eight Hereford calves were lost during the indoor calving period, and many others severely affected. Only Herefords were affected, which is thought to be down to poorer colostrum quality and quantity. 

In 2021 Ollie and Lucy took 50% ownership of a 30-head Hereford suckler herd, and bought around 20 Continental-cross cattle – grazed across 283ha of tenanted grassland. 

Caused by the protozoan parasite Cryptosporidium parvum, cryptosporidiosis primarily affects calves within their first 14 days of life, damaging the gut lining, causing extreme diarrhoea, dehydration and – in severe cases – death. 

It also poses a risk to humans, which Lucy found out the hard way when she contracted the parasite. “I was knocked out for 10 days. I had no energy and couldn’t keep anything in. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I now take no risks when it comes to hand washing,” she says.

Long-term problem

Their vet, Jon Goodson of Goodsons Farm Vets, used a calf-side faecal testing kit from MSD Animal Health to confirm the presence of cryptosporidiosis, as well as coronavirus in the first case. Subsequent cases all tested positive for cryptosporidiosis alone.

“We were drip-feeding calves and giving halofuginone lactate (Halocur) as a treatment to the sick and then as a precaution to all others,” says Jon. “But some calves deteriorated so quickly, they were dead within 24 hours of showing symptoms. Even some that calved outside were going down; the cows must have had contaminated teats.”

Environmental swabs later revealed the parasite was present throughout the calving shed – including in the water trough. Further tests also revealed it was on the pasture next to a sewage treatment works, which is known to flood onto the land during heavy rain.

“The building where we calved the cows and housed them over winter was old,” explains Ollie. “When we looked through historic records, we saw the Hereford herd had consistently run at 20% calf mortality. It’s clear cryptosporidiosis had been here long before us. It’s almost embarrassing to admit the scale of the problem.”

And the cost was significant. “Administering Halocur was expensive, and it still knocked the calves back,” says Lucy. “Even after turnout we were still seeing issues. Our initial reaction was that we’d never calve in that shed again. But with shed space so limited, and local barns being turned into commercial units, we didn’t have another option.” 

Tackling crypto head-on

Ollie and Lucy worked closely with Jon to take control of the situation. “We were very strict on culling,” says Ollie. “Anything that lost a calf and shown to have poor or limited colostrum was culled. We culled over half the Herefords and have been slowly rebuilding with stronger replacements.”

They also bought a new Hereford bull from James Ludgate’s Rempstone herd, chosen for his maternal traits and milkiness to improve colostrum quantity and quality.

Sheds are now mucked out three times over winter, disinfected each time with a crypto-effective product, and lime is added under the bedding. Bedding is also topped up more regularly.

But the game-changer, they say, has been vaccination with Bovilis Cryptium – the first vaccine in the UK to protect cattle against Cryptosporidium parvum. It is administered to pregnant heifers and cows to boost antibody levels in their colostrum, providing newborn calves with protection against the parasite.

“We realised that unless we changed to outdoor spring calving entirely – which still had its issues – vaccination was our only real option,” says Lucy. 

Now, cows are vaccinated with two doses four weeks apart in November, completed at least three weeks before calving. In subsequent pregnancies, cows only need a single annual booster.

The vaccine can be used alongside Bovilis Rotavec Corona for broader scour protection against rotavirus, coronavirus, and E. coli F5 (K99) and F41.

“Since we started vaccinating in late 2024, we haven’t had a single case of scours – not even milk scours – and we’ve had zero calf losses post-calving. It’s made a huge difference,” says Ollie.

Suckler herds 

Although cryptosporidiosis is often associated with dairy units, Jon says it is not uncommon in beef herds.

“The movement of calves from dairy farms to suckler systems – to foster or replace dead calves – can be a route in, or lapses in biosecurity. If you’re bringing in a dairy calf, it may be worth considering Halocur treatment on arrival or buying in from vaccinated herds if available that have good colostrum protocols.”

He stresses that once cryptosporidiosis is present on a unit, it’s almost impossible to eradicate it for good. But effective control is possible through vaccination, hygiene, and colostrum management. “With beef calves worth £500, spending money on a vaccine is an easy decision,” says Jon.

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