Colostrum

Use of Calf Colostrum

Colostrum is crucial for newborn animals. Calves and lambs are born with little or no immunity.

This first milk is packed with a huge amount of goodies, including anti bodies, anti-microbial factors and other active molecules including growth factors – designed to get a newborn through the critical first few days of life. 

Colostrum provides anti bodies against infections the mother has been exposed to and secondly it stimulates the closing of the gut wall to prevent pathogens passing into the blood stream.

The stomach wall remains open up to 24 hours of age, but transfer is more limited as time progresses. 

It is considered that for a calf, 4 litres of good quality cow colostrum is required in the first  hour to achieve adequate levels of antibody intake.

If the cows’ colostrum is not adequate, and approx 50% of the cows in any given herd do not produce high enough quality colostrum, then some form of supplement is required.

The risk of disease is also a concern on many farms with the increase in Johnnes disease and mycoplasma becoming a problem. Many framers are using complete colostrum replacers as an alternative to cows colostrum.

Britmilk’s colostrum replacer is not specific to any one individual farm however the colostrum is sourced from a wide range of high health status European farms which are free of EBL (Bovine Leucosis virus) which gives a broad spectrum cover.

Britmilk’s Calf colostrum is based on best quality dried colostrum containing specific proteins.

When to use Colostrum products (supplement or complete replacer)

• Calves born to cows with no colostrum
• When cow calves earlier than expected often with poor quality colostrum
• When colostrum is tested and proven to be of a poor quality
• High valve pedigree calves
• Ensure a “quality first feed’ in the first 6 hours 
• Late winter/spring born calves which can prove more difficult to rear
• All twin or triplet calves
• Calves born after a long and difficult calving