Nutritional Solutions
Supplementation and nutraceutical programmes that maximise livestock productivity and resilience.
Nutritional deficiency silently costs more livestock production than infectious disease across sub-Saharan Africa.
Sub-Saharan African soils are chronically deficient in selenium, zinc, copper and phosphorus — deficiencies that pass directly into grazing livestock. The result is poor conception rates, weak calves, reduced milk yield and suppressed immune function that increases disease susceptibility. This is not a minor inefficiency: it represents a systemic drag on agricultural productivity that affects smallholder and commercial producers alike. Jos•Hansen's nutrition portfolio — from Virbac mineral concentrates and Boehringer Ingelheim electrolytes to Ceva nutraceuticals — provides the targeted supplementation that closes the nutritional gap between what African pasture provides and what livestock actually need.
Mineral and vitamin deficiency in African livestock soils.
Sub-Saharan African soils are chronically deficient in selenium, zinc, copper and phosphorus — deficiencies that pass directly into grazing livestock. Virbac mineral supplements correct these deficiencies systematically, with species-specific formulations for cattle, sheep, goats and poultry. A well-supplemented animal is more responsive to vaccination, more resistant to infection and more productive — nutrition is the foundation on which all other animal health interventions depend.
Targeted supplementation for commercial production systems.
High-producing dairy cows, feedlot cattle and commercial poultry operations have nutrient requirements that pasture alone cannot meet. Jos•Hansen's production nutrition portfolio includes rumen buffers, metabolic supplements, amino acid concentrates and mycotoxin binders — formulated to the specific demands of intensive African livestock production. These are not generic products; they are precision tools for producers managing tight margins.
Key deficiencies we address
Electrolyte therapy for rapid livestock recovery.
Diarrhoea and dehydration are the leading causes of calf mortality in Africa. Boehringer Ingelheim oral electrolyte solutions reverse dehydration rapidly — replacing sodium, potassium and bicarbonate lost in scours and restoring gut function within 24 hours. Jos•Hansen ensures buffer stock availability and trained farm staff who can initiate therapy without waiting for a veterinarian.
Rehydrate
Restore sodium, potassium and bicarbonate
Stabilise
Correct acidosis and restore gut motility
Recover
Support normal feeding within 24 hours
The production returns on nutrition investment.
Nutrition is the highest-return animal health investment available — because it amplifies the effectiveness of every other intervention: vaccination, pharmaceuticals, genetics and management.
Improved conception rates
Selenium and copper supplementation increases first-service conception rates in cattle by 10–15%, compressing the calving interval and significantly improving herd productivity over a full production year.
Higher daily weight gain
Strategic mineral and energy supplementation in beef cattle increases average daily gain by 0.15–0.30 kg/day — a meaningful margin impact in both feedlot and extensive grazing systems.
Reduced metabolic disease
Transition cow supplements — calcium, magnesium, vitamin E — reduce milk fever, retained placenta and displaced abomasum in periparturient dairy cattle: conditions that cost far more to treat than to prevent.
Stronger vaccine response
A well-nourished animal mounts a stronger immune response to vaccination and shows lower susceptibility to infectious disease. Nutrition underpins the effectiveness of every other animal health investment.
Measurable nutrition programme outcomes.
These are the production and clinical benchmarks that validate targeted supplementation as a strategic investment, not an optional extra.
Proportion of livestock deaths in sub-Saharan Africa attributable to nutritional deficiency — a preventable burden correctable with targeted mineral and vitamin supplementation
Average milk production increase in dairy cattle receiving targeted selenium, copper and zinc supplementation, per East African producer field trials
Time to clinical improvement in dehydrated calves treated with Boehringer Ingelheim oral electrolyte solutions under field conditions in Africa
Supplementation for every production system.
Mineral concentrates, electrolytes and nutraceuticals formulated for African livestock species and production environments — from extensive grazing systems to intensive dairy and poultry operations.
Global manufacturers. African execution.
Every product we supply is sourced from world-class manufacturers and backed by Jos•Hansen's local installation, training and service capability across East and Southern Africa.
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