Colostrum natures liquid gold

Colostrum natures liquid gold

Why is colostrum importantA calf is born immunoniave (very little natural immunityIt is full of immunoglobulins fat and energy for the newbornThe first milking is the colostrumQuality is important we should measure in my opinionHave you a colostrum planstorage

Colostrum planGet the dry period and cow health right!!Take the first milking suckling vs tubingWhat volumes should you feedGet it in quickly WHY?How should it be storedCheck quality regularlySuckler calves and lambs

Testing qualityYou can test quality on farm using a colostrometers (crude indicator)Good starting point for quality control

Brix refractometer gives a more accurate idea of quality

Testing transferWhen talking about colostrum we can test calves to assess passive transferThis can be done using ZSTs or serum proteinI measure serum proteins which means blood testing 4-8 calves between day 2-10. Looking for serum protein above level of 55g/l

So it all starts with colostrumHave a plan (hygiene)Good to have SOPs around calf health managementColostrum substitutes (nothing beats the real thing)