Multimin is an easily absorbed mineral injection of copper, selenium, zinc and manganese. It is used prior to periods of stress to boost your cows’ immune system, with some impressive results from trials in New Zealand:  

At a dose of 1ml/50kg at birth, the use of Multimin in calves was found to reduce calf deaths by about 50%. The trial looked at 900 calves and found a reduction in scours in calves between 3 - 35 days old, from 10.6% in control calves to 4.9% in injected calves. This, and other disease reduction, caused the mortality rate over this period to be 7.5%, down from 15.6%.  

The rate of death and illnesses in the first 48 hours after birth were not changed by giving calves Multimin at birth. Their growth rate was also not affected, so it is just the improved immunity we are getting.  

The trial also showed that the early weeks of life have the highest mortality rates, so a calf’s response to a Multimin injection is at its highest during that time. One of the next big periods of stress for calves is at weaning, but there is a lower rate of illness at this time. As such, while giving a Multimin injection to calves at weaning does still help to reduce illness, it is not as dramatic a response.   

In cows, giving Multimin pre-calving and pre-mating has been shown to increase in-calf rates by 3.3%, and on average it took cows 3 days less to get in calf.  

Overall, giving Multimin at periods of stress has a good return on investment - the hardest thing is remembering to give it!