Vita Charge® Products Ideal During Stress And Recovery

Just like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, biscuits and gravy, and chips with salsa, some things are just meant to go together. Another pair that goes together is Vita Charge and antibiotics. Vita Charge is a fast-acting, multi-species livestock supplement for use during stressful times when livestock need protection or assistance in recovery.

“Some people think about giving Vita Charge Cattle Drench when getting in sale barn cattle, and that is a great protocol, but anytime you are giving an antibiotic, be sure to give a Vita Charge product along with it. It’s like peanut butter and jelly, the two things just need to go together,” said Chris Kyle, BioZyme®Inc. Area Sales Manager for east Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana.

Amaferm® is the key ingredient in the Vita Charge line. Amaferm is a precision prebiotic designed to enhance digestibility by amplifying the nutrient supply for maximum performance. It is research-proven to combat stress by supporting the animal’s own immune system, significantly increasing intake and nutrient utilization. The Vita Charge product line offers versatility in many forms making application easy depending on what is best for your animal.

Kyle offers some tips to position each of the Vita Charge products.

As mentioned, the Vita Charge Cattle Drench is the first step in a three-step weaning or receiving program for stockers. The Cattle Drench supports digestive health and promotes feed and water intake during times of stress and recovery. According to Kyle, the Amaferm and added enzymes in the Vita Charge Cattle Drench work together to regenerate any of the healthy bacteria that the antibiotics didn’t kill. Vita Charge Cattle Drench simply helps jump start the digestive system to protect cattle during stress. Like all Vita Charge products, it does not interfere with antibiotics.

Another product that can be used when giving antibiotics to all species and is perhaps a little more portable is the Vita Charge Gel. This easy-to-use gel comes in 60- and 300-mL tubes. Kyle said he knows of several cattle producers who will carry this horseback or in their ATV when they are in bigger pastures and need to treat an animal. The Vita Charge Gel also helps build back bacteria, and contains MOS to trap and expel pathogens, limiting their ability to do harm.

“If you aren’t darting them to treat them, there is a way to get Vita Charge into them,” Kyle said.

Two more Vita Charge products are available to producers that can be used with antibiotics, though they are often used with bigger groups of livestock.

The Vita Charge Stress Tub is the second step in the weaning and receiving protocol. Available in 50- and 200-pound tubs, it is the convenient way for cattle to get their daily dose of Vita Charge without extra handling. The cooked tub for beef cattle now includes a heat-tolerant probiotic to work synergistically with Amaferm to replenish and stimulate gut bacteria. In addition to adding these to your pens when getting in new cattle or at weaning, Kyle also recommends the Vita Charge Stress Tubs for any operations that have a “sick pen.

“If you have a designated sick pen on your place, it should always have something orange (the color of the Stress Tubs) in it. You know those calves are stressed and their immunity is compromised, and they need the Amaferm and MOS more than ever in that situation when they are also getting treated,” he said.

The Vita Charge Stress Tub with HEAT® is ideal to help prevent heat stress during temperatures of 70 degrees and hotter. The Vita Charge Stress Tub with HEAT contains capsaicin to help maintain circulation to support animal performance and gain in heat stress situations. Capsaicin is research-proven to support animal’s ability to maintain normal body temperature. It also includes garlic, considered a natural insect deterrent.

Finally, Vita Charge Liquid Boost® is another versatile, multi-species product that can be fed multiple ways, though most usually administered in water. It can be administered via a medicator, mixed with water, used as a drench or top-dressed on feed. Kyle said for those cattle that have been trucked multiple hours, across time zones and climates, this is a great tool to help them drink once they have reached their new destination.

“If cattle have had a long haul on a semi, and their new owner wants to give them a day or so to get settled before they process them, they could add some Liquid Boost in their water, to help their gut get right. Regardless of if they are ready to eat yet or lick a tub, they are going to have to drink at some point,” Kyle said.

Liquid Boost is also great for any species, and its palatable flavoring helps create consistency in taste of any water source.

Vita Charge offers something for all species with multiple applications. It is designed to help build up the bacteria in the digestive system, something necessary when antibiotics are used. Antibiotics and Vita Charge – they just go together like peas and carrots.

Protein: The Keys to Identifying Protein Needs

Protein is essential. Not only do ruminants both large and small depend on it for good digestion and proper rumen function, but animals in general, rely on protein for adequate meat and milk production. Protein is necessary to supply the ammonia needed for microbial growth and to provide the amino acids needed for absorption from the small intestine. A protein deficiency can limit microbial activity, microbial protein synthesis and rate of digestion. In turn, these can impact feed and energy intake. Finally, if an animal receives insufficient amounts of protein, meat and milk production can be dramatically reduced.

However, spending money on protein supplementation may not always be the best investment for a producer to make. You need to know when to supplement protein and how much to provide to make it a wise investment in your operation.

Follow these three helpful tips to ensure proper protein supplementation.

  1. Identify Protein Needs.

Requirements for protein vary throughout the year and depend on the animal’s stage of production. A cow’s protein requirements will vary from about 9% to 12%, while a doe or ewe’s protein requirements range from 7% to 15%, depending on where she is in the production cycle. Requirements are lowest post-weaning to late gestation and continue to increase as the female gets closer giving birth. Protein requirements are highest immediately post-parturition due to the increase in protein needed for milk production during lactation.

  1. Identify What is in Your Feed.

You know the stages of production when additional protein is required, but do you know how much protein to supplement with? Before you start a supplementation program, you need to know exactly what they are already consuming. Protein can come from pasture, stored forages and grain. By understanding the nutrient profile of your available feedstuffs, you can better identify what supplements you need in your feeding program to meet nutrient requirements and optimize animal performance. BioZyme® Inc. offers forage testing and ration balancing, free to its customers, to help them gain a better understanding of what they are missing in their livestock diets. If you are interested in participating, please contact your Area Sales Manager.

  1. Identify the Protein Supplement that Best Fits your Scenario.

Producers have options when it comes to choosing the protein that will work best with their management practices. BioZyme offers its protein supplements in a tub or meal form to accommodate various management scenarios, allowing for maximum convenience along with improved animal performance. In addition to the added protein, the Amaferm® found in BioZyme products increases the rate of digestion, allowing animals to meet their nutrient requirements faster and on less feed. Increased forage digestion provides for greater microbial growth and production of microbial protein to provide the animal with more protein for growth, lactation and reproduction. Furthermore, with Amaferm in the diet you effectively reduce the need to supplement large amounts of protein because you are making more of the protein in the forage available to the animals.

How to Promote the Programs BioZyme® Offers

Best results and benefits to the animals are achieved when fed a program approach. Assist your customers in outlining the perfect program that fits their individual needs and starts them on the path for success by using BioZyme products year round.

VitaFerm: Building My Customer VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® Premium Program

Gain Smart: Building My Custom Gain Smart® Premium Program

Vitalize: Your Guide to the Right Vitalize Supplement

Beat the HEAT this Summer

Depending on where you live, the temperatures are probably starting to heat up, and the grass is starting to green up, sure signs that spring has arrived, and summer is right around the corner. No matter what your customers raise, we have products to help those animals fight heat stress and deter insects this summer. All HEAT® products help animals maintain normal body temperature at temperatures of 70 degrees or warmer and include garlic, a natural insect deterrent.

HEAT for your breeding program:

HEAT for your whole herd:

HEAT for your stocker program:

HEAT for your sheep:

HEAT for your show livestock:

VitaFerm Concept•Aid 5/S HEAT with ClariFly is Now Available

You asked, we listened. The ultimate summer breeding mineral is here! VitaFerm Concept•Aid 5/S HEAT with ClariFly is now available and ready to order! This mineral package combines the benefits of Concept•Aid to get cows bred with the proven effectiveness of the HEAT package for summer grazing and NOW added 4-fly control with ClariFly! ClariFly helps control horn flies, face flies, stable flies and house flies in the larval stages.

The Power Of Protein

Protein is a powerful nutrient for your animal’s digestive system and rumen to function properly. However, spending money on protein supplementation may not always be the best investment for a producer to make. They need to know when to supplement protein and how much to provide to make it a wise investment in their operation.

Protein is essential within the diet of a ruminant to supply the ammonia needed for microbial growth and to provide the amino acids needed for absorption from the small intestine. A protein deficiency can limit microbial activity, microbial protein synthesis and rate of digestion. In turn, these can impact feed and energy intake. Furthermore, if an animal receives insufficient amounts of protein, meat and milk production can be dramatically reduced.

Follow these three helpful tips to ensure proper protein supplementation.

  1. Identify Protein Needs.

Requirements for protein vary throughout the year and depend on the animal’s stage of production. A cow’s protein requirements will vary from about 9% to 12%, while a ewe’s protein requirements range from 7% to 15%, depending on where she is in the production cycle. Requirements are lowest post-weaning to late gestation and continue to increase as the female gets closer to parturition and lactation. Protein requirements are highest immediately post-calving and post-lambing due to the increase in protein demanded for lactation.

  1. Identify What is in Your Customers’ Feed.

You know the stages of production when additional protein is required, but do you know how much protein to supplement with? Before your customers start a supplementation program, they need to know exactly what their animals are already consuming. Protein can come from pasture, stored forages and grain. By understanding the nutrient profile of the available feedstuffs, they can better identify what supplements they need in their feeding program to meet nutrient requirements and optimize animal performance. BioZyme® Inc. offers forage testing and ration balancing, free to its customers, to help them gain a better understanding of what they are missing in their livestock diets. If you are interested in participating, please contact your Area Sales Manager.

  1. Identify the Protein Supplement that Best Fits their Scenario.

Producers have options when it comes to choosing the protein that will work best with their management practices. BioZyme offers its protein supplements in a tub or meal form to cater to differing management scenarios, allowing for maximum convenience along with improved animal performance. In addition to the added protein, the Amaferm® found in BioZyme products increases the rate of digestion, allowing animals to meet their nutrient requirements faster and on less feed. Increased forage digestion provides for greater microbial growth and production of microbial protein to provide the animal with more protein for growth, lactation and reproduction. Furthermore, with Amaferm in the diet, they will effectively reduce the need to supplement large amounts of protein because they are making more of the protein in the forage available to the animals.

AVAILABLE PROTEIN PRODUCTS:

Cattle Products:

  • VITAFERM® CONCEPT•AID® PROTEIN TUB, 200-lb. tub: A combination of Concept•Aid breeding mineral and 20% natural protein in a cooked tub. Specifically designed for reproductive success when fed 60 days pre-calving through 60 days post-breeding. Especially beneficial in A.I. and E.T. breeding programs. Includes natural protein for when forage quality is low.
  • VITAFERM® CONCEPT•AID® PROTEIN MEAL, 50-lb. bag: A combination of Concept•Aid breeding mineral and 20% natural protein in loose form. Specifically designed for reproductive success when fed 60 days pre-calving through 60 days post-breeding. Especially beneficial in A.I. and E.T. breeding programs. Includes natural protein for when forage quality is low.
  • VITAFERM® 30-13% PROTEIN TUB™, 200-lb. tub: A 30% protein cooked tub for beef cattle on forage. Includes no more than 13% equivalent crude protein from non-protein nitrogen allowing for a higher protein level in a low feeding rate. Contains organic copper for maximum bioavailability to support the animal’s immunity.
  • VITAFERM® CONSERVE™ PROTEIN TUB, 200-lb. tub: An economical vitamin and mineral supplement that supports the health and condition of the whole herd. Includes the Amaferm advantage to optimize nutrient digestion and absorption while the vitamin and mineral pack preserves cattle performance and contains protein for when forage quality is low.

Sheep Products:

  • DURAFERM® CONCEPT•AID® SHEEP PROTEIN TUB, 125-lb. tub: A breeding mineral with 16% natural protein in a cooked tub for sheep specifically designed to target cycling, embryo production and conception when fed 30 days prior to lambing through breeding. Especially beneficial in A.I. and E.T. breeding programs.

Horse Products:

  • VITALIZE® EQUINE PROTEIN PELLET – 40 LB. BAGA pelleted, natural protein supplement fully fortified with vitamins, minerals, organic trace minerals for horses who are not receiving additional grain or are receiving very low quality forage.

The Vita Charge Stress Tubs are getting an upgrade!


The New and Improved Vita Charge Stress Tubs are now formulated with the inclusion of heat tolerant Bacillus spores that act as a probiotic to replenish the good bugs in the gut, while Amaferm works to sustain that balance once replenished.

*The new formula will begin shipping out on October 5th, 2020.

VitaFerm Conserve: Save Many with Several Choices

Cutting spending is something everyone can get on board with. But cutting spending while still having several choices – that is just about too good to be true. However, with the VitaFerm® Conserve™ line, producers do have several options to choose from, depending on their specific needs.

A one-size-fits all mineral program doesn’t typically work for everyone, all times of the year. That is why BioZyme has formulated the VitaFerm Conserve in five additional formulas to the original. Producers can choose the product right for their particular situation.

VITAFERM® CONSERVE™ This original vitamin and mineral supplement contains Amaferm® to provide your herd the health benefits they need. It supports the health and condition of the entire herd and like all but one of the other formulas comes in a loose form.

VITAFERM® CONSERVE™ CTC 3G This is another economical supplement choice for beef cattle, that includes CTC for the control of Anaplasmosis. This formula is ideal to feed while cattle are grazing or during breeding season. Remember, since 2017, a VFD is required to purchase and feed anything with CTC or any other medicated feed.

VITAFERM® CONSERVE™ GARLIC This loose mineral combines both Amaferm and garlic, making it an ideal summer mineral. Amaferm is research-proven to maintain body temperature. Garlic is added to naturally deter insects.

VITAFERM® CONSERVE™ MAG This is an economical mineral and vitamin supplement that is fortified with high levels of magnesium to help prevent grass tetany. If you are in region susceptible to tetany, your customers might consider this in the spring or early summer or any time they start feeding hay that has yet to be tested.

VITAFERM® CONSERVE™ MOS The newest product in the line, the combination of Amaferm and MOS make this supplement a great choice any time of the year to maximize herd health cost efficiently. The added MOS helps trap and remove harmful pathogens from the digestive tract, eliminating their ability to do harm.

VITAFERM® CONSERVE™ PROTEIN TUB This 200-pound cooked tub contains all the same benefits from the vitamins, minerals and Amaferm as the loose mineral, but has the added protein needed when forage quality is low. The 20% added protein is ideal for feeding as summer slips away to fall and the grasses change their nutrient content. The tubs also add convenience to distributing the mineral.

Everybody likes a choice, and with a quality base of vitamins, minerals and the Amaferm advantage, the VitaFerm Conserve is a great choice for those producers looking for an economically friendly supplement for their herd.

Vita Charge for Stress Relief

Vita Charge® is the ideal product for stress relief. And when do livestock feel the most stress? When they undergo abrupt changes to their routines. Think weaning. Think shipping/receiving. Think all aspects of showing them.

West Texas Area Sales Manager Sam Silvers said promoting the Vita Charge line to his dealers and customers comes to him with ease due to the type of people he typically is around, even when not on the sales road.

“With a background in show livestock, I am around those people quite a bit and they see the importance of keeping their animals on feed and water in all situations. The Vita Charge products do that, and they work quickly. I’m also around several people who run stockers and their challenges come up in general conversation. It’s easy to suggest a product from the Vita Charge line,” Silvers said.

One of the best customers and dealers Silvers has found in his area are veterinarians. He said they understand the need to get those animals that have been stressed and treated back on the road to recovery as quick as possible and that boost from the Vita Charge helps.

Click here to see what our customers have to say about these products and more.

Conserve Spending, Increase Performance

BioZyme® Inc. is always looking for ways to help our end-users raise livestock in the most economic efficiently way possible, while keeping the animals safe and healthy. In keeping with the company motto, “care that comes full circle,” we know the best way to help producers help their animals is to develop new and cutting-edge products. Since our last VISION, we’ve launched three new products to help the producer save money and help keep animals performing their best.

Cattle producers are always looking for ways to reduce their input costs without surrendering their herds’ performance. Now, they can do both successfully. BioZyme® Inc., has introduced VitaFerm Conserve ™ to its product family.

VitaFerm Conserve is an economical vitamin and mineral supplement line that like all BioZyme products, comes with the Amaferm® advantage to maximize nutrient digestion and absorption. Although it contains a balanced vitamin and mineral package and Amaferm, Conserve does not contain organic trace minerals. Rather than formulating to optimum nutrient levels like the VitaFerm Concept•Aid® line, VitaFerm Conserve is formulated at sufficient nutrient levels to maintain performance. Therefore, the savings can be passed on to the producer without sacrificing the health or performance of the cow herd.

Available in five formulations tailored to different operational challenges: