Calving expert: Colostrum is key

“Plenty of good, wholesome colostrum early in life can make a big difference in the life of a calf,” said Dr. Sam Leadley, Attica Veterinary Associates. “This is important not only for calf development, but for the rest of her productive life.”

Leadley offers a list of practical goals for colostrum management on commercial dairies including:

• Collect colostrum as soon as practical after calving. The best colostrum is right after the calf is born.
• Keep colostrum pure. Clean teat ends, the collection bucket and nursing bottle.
• Feed colostrum within 30 minutes after collection (or, if stored, chilled to 60.8 degrees Fahrenheit (16 degrees Celsius) within 30 minutes after collection).
• Offer colostrum to calf as soon as possible after calving. Once she is breathing on her own and rolls on to her belly, she is ready to feed. Standing makes feeding easier.
• Provide high quality colostrum for the first feeding. A Brix refractometer or colostrometer will help sort out the best quality for first feedings.

Leadley also addresses that it is important to monitor the effectiveness of colostrum management. “Work with a herd veterinary surgeon to set up a monitoring program using blood sampling. Good management should give 90 percent of calves above 5.0 blood serum total protein and 75% of calves above 5.5 blood serum total protein”, he recommends.

Regarding the quality check of colostrum he says: “Remember that colour and thickness of colostrum are unreliable indicators of quality. Purchase and use a Brix refractometer or colostrometer. In the absence of on-farm testing, assume that quality is lower than ideal. One easy fix is to feed a larger volume of clean colostrum. That is, rather than feeding one bottle (two litres) first feeding, offer the calf two bottles to see if she will drink more. Consider using a tube feeder to get at least three litres in the first feeding”.

Calf health will be further discussed during Dairy: Today’s Greatest Business Opportunity, part of the Alltech REBELation, an event exploring innovation, inspiration and world-changing ideas in Lexington, Ky., USA, from May 16-20.

Source: Alltech