The Importance of Colostrum and the Colostrometer

18 November 2010

Colostrum management – adopting the critical 4Qs

Colostrum is the fuel of life; that’s a well know factor, however it’s worth reading on as a reminder, simply because it is without doubt the cornerstone to all successful calf rearing enterprises.

Colostrum supplies essential nutrients and antibodies needed as new born calves have no protective antibodies to resist disease challenges and these can only be absorbed via colostrum. If you don’t adopt the follow 4Q’s to colostrum management then poor health, low growth rates and high mortality are frequently apparent in calves.

1, Quality

Feed calves with quality colostrum. Find out if a cow’s colostrum contains sufficient antibodies by using a colostrometer.

Good quality colostrum may be frozen for future use when the dam’s colsotrum is unsuitable, for example if she has a high risk of transmitting disease such as Johne’s. Alternatively commercial colostrum can be used but make sure it has been independently tested and check the nutrient density.

Quality can be reduced in circumstances such as

Age of cow – colostrum from cows in their first lactation usually contains fewer antibodies as they have yet to be exposed to a wide range of pathogens

Breed of cow – Holstein colostrum typically contains lower levels than from Jersey cows

Short dry periods of less than three weeks

High yielding cows - those producing more than eight litres at first milking with poor transition diets

Poor hygiene - high levels of bacteria in colostrum has been shown to reduce the uptake of antibodies by the calf

2, Quantity

A minimum of three litres in the first six hours, split in to two feeds if necessary

Remember, a calf requires approximately 20 minutes of continuous sucking to consumer three litres of milk from the cow.

3, Quickly

Ideally, as soon as possible after birth, and at the latest within six hours.

At birth the calf’s gut is permeable which means it can absorb the large antibody molecules directly into its bloodstream. Over the first 24 hours the gut rapidly ‘closes’ and these molecules can no longer be absorbed, so it is essential that the calf absorbs sufficient antibodies as soon as possible, after birth. Feeding colostrum for at least the first three days of life has been shown to have other benefits encouraging rapid gut development and laying a solid foundation for fast efficient future growth.

4, Quietly

If calves are stressed while being fed colostrum, then they won’t absorb the antibodies as efficiently as those that are calm. This means a stressed calf will require more colostrum in order to achieve the same level of immunity.

The Colostrometer

The Colostrometer is an easy to use piece of kit that rapidly tells you whether maternal colostrum is of good quality.

Calibrated to colostrum density simply place the colsotrometer into the provided cylinder and wait to see where its floats to.

If in the green area then the colostrum is of good quality and can be fed or frozen.

If in the amber area then the colostrum is of average quality and you should consider supplementing to ensure the calf receives enough protective antibodies

If in the red area then the colostrum is of poor quality and should not be fed or frozen

To ensure accurate results always test colostrum at a temperate of around 22°C

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