Bridget says Rotavec Corona is a no-brainer

Bridget Henderson was working full-time on her parents’ farm when they faced a devastating rotavirus scours outbreak among their calves. Five years later, the memory remains vivid, as they lost 10 out of 70 replacement heifer calves within the first two weeks of calving.

The Hendersons’ farm, just outside Gore, runs a split herd of 250 cows. They have 30 cows calving in autumn and milk over winter, while the majority of the herd calves in August and September. They utilise sexed semen to rear heifer replacements and raise approximately 80 bull calves on the farm.

The year they transitioned to automatic feeders coincided with a severe rotavirus outbreak which struck shortly after the first five calves were born. Bridget recalls, “Our best-looking Friesian calf went downhill suddenly, so we called the vet. By the time the results confirmed rotavirus, we had another five calves down, and by the next day, two calves had died.” “Being the start of the season, it was all our AI sex semen calves. It was awful seeing a fit, strong calf pretty much perish in front of you, literally overnight,” remembers Bridget.

In response, they thoroughly cleaned and disinfected the calf shed with Virkon®S and laid down fresh bedding. “Every calf that came in received a Rotagen® combo drench for three days. While the calves improved with Rotagen, we still experienced scours throughout that year.” said Bridget

Reflecting on the ordeal, Bridget stated, “Five years on, I can’t bear the thought of going through that again. Emotionally, the scours outbreak took its toll. I was working, milking twice a day, and then spending another 3-4 hours daily in the calf shed trying to treat the sick calves, only to see them die. It was heartbreaking, especially with the drought that year; it felt like everything was against us.”

“It was devastating to see our best calves, bred from sexed semen, die,” she continued. “They were magnificent-looking calves, and then the next day, they were dead. I told my dad, ‘I am not going through that again – next year we are vaccinating’”.

Deciding to implement preventative vaccinations with Rotavec® Corona was an easy choice for Bridget. “It would break any worker to experience a calf scours outbreak like I did that season. It was straightforward to convince my dad to vaccinate after he witnessed me breakdown in the shed. For the cost of Rotavec Corona vaccine, it’s a no-brainer.” 

The following year, they gave the herd Rotavec Corona in a split timeframe to cover the whole calving spread. Since starting vaccinations with Rotavec Corona, the Hendersons have maintained strict hygiene practices in their shed and ensure that all calves receive high-quality colostrum from vaccinated cows as early as possible after birth. Bridget emphasized, “I wouldn’t risk changing my vaccine; Rotavec Corona has worked well for us, and I would NEVER risk going through another calf scours outbreak.”

AVAILABLE ONLY UNDER VETERINARY AUTHORISATION. ACVM No. A8132. Schering-Plough Animal Health Ltd. Phone: 0800 800 543. www.msd-animal-health.co.nz © 2025 Intervet International B.V. All Rights Reserved. Rotagen® Combo ACVM No. A09928 (a registered trade mark of Vetpak limited). Virkon® S  (a registered trade mark of Antec International LTD distributed in New Zealand by NRM). NZ-BOV-250400001.