A farmer’s wife arrived with a gift. Because Helmut Schirmbrand – our father and the founder of KALKMEISTER – had helped her with a homemade paste. For a sick cow. And that, even though he had only intended to stop by for a moment. That’s our dad. And that’s also the story of this article: How a simple volcanic mineral can change life on a cattle farm – from the calf hutch to the slurry pit.
I remember many conversations with my father where he said he’d love to buy all the weak calves. He was so sure we could heal them and make them viable with zeolite. This absolute conviction – he didn’t get it from books. It came from years of observation, from conversations with zeolite pioneers and farmers, and from a deep respect for what nature gives us.
And the beautiful thing is: He was right.
What farmers instinctively sense
Anyone who picks up STALLKRAFT bedding for the first time immediately notices: this is different. Not dusty, not heavy. Fine, soft, with a delicate herbal scent – peppermint, fennel, lavender. And farmers always tell us: they pick up the bedding, rub it between their fingers and say – you can feel the quality immediately. This is something special.
Interestingly, only the animals truly smell the herbal scent. For us humans, it is delicate. But cows that stand on STALLKRAFT bedding for the first time often react immediately – they lick, they sniff, they relax. This is no coincidence. This is zoopharmacognosy (= the natural self-medication of animals, who instinctively recognize what is good for them). See also Prof. Dr. Karl Hecht on this.
The real challenges in cattle farming
Cattle farming is one of the most demanding tasks in agriculture. Costs are rising, price pressure is enormous, and animals need more attention than ever before. The most common problems we hear from farmers:
Mastitis (= udder inflammation) is still the most expensive disease in dairy farming worldwide. It costs money – through discarded milk, vet costs, antibiotics, labor, and in the worst case, the loss of the animal. Many farms struggle with it for years.
High cell counts (= SCC, Somatic Cell Count – a measure of udder health; the higher, the more inflammatory processes in the udder, the worse the milk quality) are often the result of poor barn climate and damp cubicles. Those with high cell counts cannot deliver milk, or cannot deliver it completely – this hits economically hard. No one wants a millionaire in this context.
Ketosis (= dangerous metabolic disorder after calving, where the cow has too little energy and breaks down its own fat reserves – can lead to liver failure) and parturient paresis (= milk fever, life-threatening calcium deficiency shortly after birth) are among the most common diseases around calving.
Mortellaro (= digital dermatitis, a contagious hoof disease caused by bacteria, which often becomes chronic and is difficult to treat) costs time, money, and stresses the animals.
Diarrhea in calves is still one of the most common causes of death in young animals – especially in the first weeks of life.
And then there are the things that are talked about less: mold in feed, mycotoxins (= mold toxins), aggressive bulls with open sores, skin diseases during housing changes. All of this costs nerves, time, and money.
Zeolite helps with all of this – from the inside and the outside.
What zeolite does in the bovine body – fresh studies from veterinary journals
Metabolomics Study, University of Zagreb 2021
This is one of the most scientifically sophisticated studies on zeolite in dairy cows ever published. Maity et al., published in the journal Metabolites (MDPI), examined 16 high-yielding Holstein cows – 8 with zeolite supplementation, 8 as a control group – using state-of-the-art methods: metabolomics (= the analysis of all metabolites in the blood) and proteomics (= the analysis of all proteins in the blood). 64 differentially expressed proteins and 21 different metabolites were identified.
The result: Clinoptilolite zeolite restores the energy balance (= the equilibrium between energy intake and expenditure) in high-yielding dairy cows after calving. It reduces negative energy balance (= NEB, the critical phase where the cow consumes more energy than it takes in) and thus simultaneously lowers the risk of ketosis, mastitis, and fatty liver.
"Dietary zeolite clinoptilolite supplementation restores energy balance in high yielding dairy cows." — Maity et al. (2021), Metabolites, DOI: 10.3390/metabo11120842
New Study on Reproduction and Colostrum 2023
A Journal of Advanced Veterinary and Animal Research paper from 2023 investigated Holstein cows that received zeolite in the prenatal period. The result: improved reproductive parameters after calving, better colostrum quality (= first milk after birth, crucial for calf immunity), and better body condition score (= BCS, a measure of the cow's nutritional status).
Mastitis Study — Gračner et al., MDPI Animals 2020
78 dairy cows, divided into zeolite group and control group. Milk samples were examined on days 7, 25, 45, and 75 after calving. The zeolite group had only 27 infected udder quarters in 14 cows – the control group had 59 infected udder quarters in 24 cows. The risk of udder infection was 1.96 times higher in the control group.
"Cows from the CON group had a 1.96 times higher risk of intramammary infection than cows from the CPL group." — Gračner et al. (2020), MDPI Animals, DOI: 10.3390/ani10020202
Cell Counts and Milk Yield — Ural 2014
A study directly showed: zeolite supplementation improved both milk yield and somatic cell count (= SCC) – both simultaneously. Less inflammation, more and better milk.
Large Field Study — Katsoulos et al. 2006, Veterinary Record
52 Holstein cows, divided into three groups. The group with 2.5% clinoptilolite produced 9,273 kg of milk over 305 days – which is 765 kg more than the control group with 8,508 kg. At the same time, only 1 case of ketosis instead of 7 in the control group. Liver values remained normal in all animals – zeolite had no negative effects whatsoever.
Calf Study — University of Thessaloniki, Leipzig 2011
84 newborn calves in three groups. The zeolite groups had significantly higher antibody concentrations after 12, 24, and 48 hours – stronger immunity from birth. In the first 6 days, 7 control calves had E. coli diarrhea – only 3 in the zeolite groups. Body weight was significantly higher in the zeolite groups at the end of the experiment (day 60). And the rumen wall of the control animals showed chronic inflammation after slaughter – in the zeolite animals: no changes.
What farmers report from practice
"For the calves, I add half a tablespoon of zeolite to their feed with each meal or one tablespoon once a day. Since then, I've noticed that they gain weight much faster, don't have diarrhea, and are simply fitter. They've been very robust since then."
"When we moved the young bulls, we always had the problem that they got skin diseases. Ringworm or fungal infections with bald patches. And since I've been regularly bedding with STALLKRAFT, that's gone. When they are re-housed, the barn is practically cleaned and disinfected. The diseases are eliminated. No more bald patches. And the smell in the barn is much better. And I'm fully convinced."
And then, almost casually: "And I mix zeolite with organic apple cider vinegar to make a paste, which goes on the udder. It really works great for udder inflammation."
"We are a dairy farm. Therefore, udder health is very important to me. The bedding keeps the cubicles dry, and the zeolite is anti-inflammatory and reduces germs. The cleaner and more hygienic it is, the less germ pressure there is on the udder. The healthier the animals are. And the milk's cell count is good."
Leopold Tazreiter, Neustadtl/Donau — Cell count from 200,000 to 70,000"The best thing is that I can deliver every liter of milk. Because we don't have to select any animals, the milking work is also much faster."
"Since we started using STALLKRAFT bedding, the cell count in the cows has dropped to 70,000. That is very, very low. We used to always be at 150-200,000."
And at the same time:
Herbert Grossauer, Maria Neustift — Animal Welfare Seal and Smart Economy"The risk of udder inflammation has decreased enormously. We haven't had a single case of mastitis in our barn. We used to always have the hoof disease Mortellaro in the barn. After we let the cows walk through a lime bath after the milking parlor, it has significantly decreased."
"By adding lime, I save straw in the cubicles. The liquid is absorbed, so I have to bed less straw. It is more hygienic and smells better. And Mortellaro is no longer an issue because we also lime in the barn."
"Whoever saves on quality, pays dearly! Because we have been regularly liming with finely powdered slurry lime for years, we only need 300-400 kg per hectare. If you stop liming, it gets expensive because you have to start all over again. The important thing is to do it continuously."
Reinhard P. — Pigs and Cattle, one farm, one experience"We mix TIERKRAFT Zeolite with organic apple cider vinegar to a paste. It goes on the udder. Works great! Mastitis is a thing of the past."
"By regularly spreading a shovel of lime over the floor, not only is the ammonia content in the manure bound, but odor development is also significantly reduced. The result is a noticeably cleaner and fresher environment."
And then something surprising happens:
"Interestingly, the pigs seem to appreciate this addition – they readily pick up the lime from the ground."
This applies to cattle as well. Animals know what's good for them.
F., Schönau — From the barn to the slurry and onto the fieldOrganic farm Erdinger, Gerda and Karl"We use STALLKRAFT as a slurry additive directly in the slurry pit. Slurry becomes much more homogeneous and easier to spread. The smell is less. Everything flows more easily, which also means less work. We are now also starting to spread it as bedding. Almost a step further back in the cycle. Because the decomposition already begins in the barn, NH3 is already bound there, and mites and molds no longer have a chance."
"I've only used STALLKRAFT in the barn for a few days, and it's truly incredible how quickly it almost eliminates the unpleasant odor. I can only recommend it to every animal owner. Not just for the neighbors, but for ourselves too, it's more pleasant."
The mastitis paste — a special tip many already know
A zeolite-apple cider vinegar paste applied externally to the udder – this is a tip that has long been passed on among experienced farmers. And it works. Why?
Zeolite forms a protective film on the skin surface. It actively absorbs wound secretions and inflammatory products – and when the paste dries and falls off by itself after a few hours, it carries these harmful substances away with it. New germs from the stable environment cannot penetrate the inflamed tissue during this time.
Organic apple cider vinegar lowers the pH value (= acidity) of the paste to a slightly acidic environment – in which pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus and coliform germs can hardly multiply.
Clinoptilolite also has an antibacterial effect – this has been proven in laboratory studies (Haydel et al. 2008: clay minerals inhibit a broad spectrum of antibiotic-resistant bacteria).
This is how the paste is applied: Mix STALLKRAFT Zeolite with organic apple cider vinegar to form a creamy paste. Apply to the affected teats and udder – rub in thoroughly to ensure intensive contact. Leave on for several hours until the paste dries and falls off by itself. Repeat several times a day until healing is complete.
And another tip from experienced farmers: Even after calving, when the udders are large and heavy – massage preventatively. This is not an effort. This is care.
AM+PLUS Active Microorganisms — the third force in the cattle barn
Zeolite and lime are strong. They become even stronger in combination with AM+PLUS Active Microorganisms – produced at Loidholdhof in Upper Austria.
What AM+PLUS Microorganisms achieve in the cattle barn:
It initiates the healthy fermentation process (= natural conversion of organic substances by microorganisms) already in the barn. This means less putrefaction, less odor, a better barn climate – and a slurry that arrives pre-activated on the field. The slurry becomes more homogeneous, easier to stir, and flows more evenly from the pit.
Bernhard Keplinger, organic farmer from Bad Leonfelden, reports: "Since then, the climate in the barn has improved enormously. The smell of the slurry is better, stirring is much easier, and we no longer have flies in the barn. This year we had almost tropical weather and neighboring farms couldn't get rid of the flies. We had almost none. Even the vet asked us what we were doing in the barn."
AM+PLUS in the cattle barn — how to use it:
As barn air nebulization: 0.2 liters of AM+PLUS per 10 liters of water, spray into the barn air and onto bedding surfaces at least 3 times a week. This simultaneously reduces odor, germs, and flies.
In the slurry: 0.1 liters of AM+PLUS per cubic meter of slurry – stir well, allow to ferment for 10 days before application. The result: a higher quality, more nutrient-rich slurry.
GÜLLEKRAFT N-FIX — Retaining nitrogen in slurry
Every kilogram of nitrogen that escapes into the air as ammonia (NH₃) is a lost kilogram of fertilizer. And it is a burden – for neighbors, for the environment, for regulatory requirements.
GÜLLEKRAFT N-FIX binds this ammonia nitrogen in the slurry before it escapes. The nitrogen remains bound in the liquid and is fully available to plants when applied.
And here's something important to know: GÜLLEKRAFT does NOT settle in the slurry. This is one of the most common objections we hear – and it is not true. Due to our tribomechanical grinding process, the particles are so fine that they remain suspended in the slurry. 20 kg of STALLKRAFT or GÜLLEKRAFT per m³ of slurry are sufficient to achieve a homogeneous (= uniformly mixed) slurry that does not separate.
The result: up to 80% nitrogen utilization in the field – significantly more than without treatment. What is good for the soil is also good for the wallet – and for the neighborhood.
Frequently asked questions from practice
Can STALLKRAFT bedding also be eaten?
Yes — and it is even intended. STALLKRAFT bedding is high-quality feed lime. The organic herbs have a stimulating effect on digestion and well-being. Zeolite optimizes the feed from within. If a cow licks bedding, it does so for good reason.
How much do I need to spread?
The lying area must always be dry. 200–300 g per m² daily – for high box stalls, adjust accordingly for deep litter areas. Many farms use the feed mixer: 700 kg of straw, 1,000 kg of STALLKRAFT, 600 liters of water – the perfect mixture is ready.
Does the bedding have a disinfectant effect?
Not in a chemical sense. Conventional disinfectants have a pH value of over 10 and are corrosive. STALLKRAFT has a pH value of 7–9 and dries naturally. From a pH value of 8, NH₃ escapes — with STALLKRAFT, this pH value is maintained, and ammonia is bound instead of released. That is the decisive difference.
What to do about Mortellaro?
Internally: TIERKRAFT Zeolith as a feed additive. Externally: set up a lime bath and let the cows walk through STALLKRAFT bedding after milking. The hooves dry, germs are bound, and healing begins.
Does GÜLLEKRAFT settle in the slurry?
No. This is one of the most important features of our product. Due to the tribo-mechanical grinding process, the particles are so fine that they remain suspended and distribute evenly in the slurry.
Application & Dosage — as simple as possible
STALLKRAFT Bedding: 200–300 g/m² daily. Always keep resting areas dry. For Mortellaro: set up a lime bath, let cows walk through after milking.
TIERKRAFT Zeolith as a feed additive: max. 1–2% of the total daily ration, mix into moist feed. Especially valuable in the last 4 weeks before calving and in the first weeks of lactation.
Zeolite-Apple Cider Vinegar Paste: Mix STALLKRAFT with organic apple cider vinegar to a creamy paste, apply to affected udder areas, repeat several times daily.
AM+PLUS Stable Air: 0.2 L per 10 L water, spray at least 3 times a week.
AM+PLUS Slurry: 0.1 L per m³ slurry, stir well, let ferment for 10 days.
GÜLLEKRAFT N-FIX: 20 kg per m³ slurry for homogeneous, nitrogen-rich slurry.
Our STEINKRAFT products for cattle farming
👉 STALLKRAFT Bedding — Zeolite, lime and organic herbs (Ca 20.5%, Mg 11.1%, Si 3.3%, pH 7–9) for dry, hygienic cubicles
👉 TIERKRAFT Zeolith — 100% Clinoptilolite feed additive for cattle, calves, dairy cows
👉 AM+PLUS Active Microorganisms — for stable air, slurry and udder health
👉 GÜLLEKRAFT N-FIX — NH₃ binder for valuable, homogeneous slurry
You can find all products on our Livestock Collection Page
Read more
What animals really need – Prof. Hecht on zoopharmacognosy and zeolite
Zeolite in livestock farming: What studies really show
Cell counts in milk too high – what really helps NH₃ binding in slurry: Concrete recommendations for action STEINKRAFT Success Story: Zeolite animal hygiene in practice
Sources
Maity S. et al. (2021): Integrated Metabolomics and Proteomics Dynamics Reveals Dietary Zeolite Clinoptilolite Supplementation Restores Energy Balance in High Yielding Dairy Cows. Metabolites, DOI: 10.3390/metabo11120842 · Journal of Advanced Veterinary and Animal Research (2023): Zeolite-supplemented diets in the prenatal period affected postpartum reproductive parameters and colostrum production · Gračner D. et al. (2020): Effects of Dietary Vibroactivated Clinoptilolite on Intramammary Microbiological Findings. MDPI Animals, DOI: 10.3390/ani10020202 · Katsoulos P.D. et al. (2006): Effects of long-term feeding supplemented with clinoptilolite on ketosis, milk yield and liver function. Veterinary Record 159(13), pp. 415–418 · Karatzia M.A. et al. (2013): Diet supplementation with clinoptilolite improves energy status, reproductive efficiency and increases milk yield. Animal Production Science 53, pp. 234–239 · Fratric N. et al. (2005): Effect of a clinoptilolite based mineral adsorber on IgG in newborn calves. Acta Veterinaria (Beograd) 55, pp. 11–21 · Ural D.A. (2014): Efficacy of clinoptilolite supplementation on milk yield and somatic cell count. Revista MVZ Córdoba 19(3) · Haydel S.E. et al. (2008): Broad-spectrum antibacterial activities of clay minerals. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 61, pp. 353–361
