Colostrum to the Newborn Calf; Why it’s so Important

The most important meal a calf will consume in its entire life is colostrum. Immunoglobulin G (IgG), an important antibody, cannot pass through the placental barrier during pregnancy. Therefore, calves are essentially born without a functioning immune system. It may take three or four weeks for the newborn calf’s active immune system to kick in, so during that time they need some help. That’s where colostrum for calves comes in to provide passive immunity.

Colostrum, or first milk produced by the mother after birth, is high in nutrients and antibodies.  A newborn calf lacks disease protection because antibodies do not pass across the cow’s placenta to the fetus’ circulatory system.  Antibodies in colostrum provide calves with their initial protection.

Time is important because a newborn calf’s digestive tract allows antibodies to pass directly into the blood.  After 24 hours, the calf’s intestines cannot absorb antibodies intact.  The absorbed antibodies protect against systemic invasion by pathogens while antibodies that are not absorbed play an important role in protection against intestinal disease.

Why is colostrum important?

The colostrum produced in the initial few days after the birth of the calf contains almost 100 times more antibodies than regular milk produced by the cattle. It has been proven scientifically that these immunoglobulins and antibodies have a positive impact on the overall growth and development of the caves and help the newborn in building up their immune system in the initial days after birth.

The colostrum produced have a high content of essential amino acids, which synthesis proteins, that are necessary for the immune building activities, it is also rich in carbohydrates and have almost double the number of oligosaccharides, which is a type of sugar residue that is not abundant in the diet compared to other carbohydrates.

The abundance of fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, K, and B vitamins respectively are found in a higher concentration in colostrum than mature milk which are basic requisites for many of the metabolic activities such as bone development and antioxidant production imperative for the immune system.

How much colostrum does a newborn calf need?

The first portion of the colostrum should be given to the calves within one hour of birth, the further delay to this can increase the risk of mortality and susceptibility to diseases. Second feeding should be done within 12 hours and third feeding within 24 hours. The calf should be given ~1 litre of colostrum in each feeding.

The quality of the colostrum plays a significant role in the amount of colostrum to be given in the first portion, usually a good to very good quality of colostrum containing 100 to 200 grams of immunoglobulin should be fed. Good quality colostrum should have a BRIX measurement of more than or equal to 22.

It is found that feeding the calves after birth can significantly improve the passive immunity transfer and the calf needs colostrum of good quality for efficient absorption of immunoglobulins. If the colostrum is of poor quality, then the calf should be given calf colostrum replacers as an alternative artificial colostrum for calf.

Thus a good quality of colostrum plays a vital role in the successful transfer of passive immunity to ensure reduced risk of mortality, improved rate of gain, and overall development, so it is recommended to feed the calf with colostrum up to three weeks of age.

How much colostrum does a cow produce?

Cows begin to produce colostrum five weeks prepartum and ends at calving. The antibodies are transferred from the bloodstream. Typically, mature beef cows in good condition will produce an antibody mass in approximately ½ gallon of colostrum. It is important to ensure during the week prior to calving that the cow is not “leaking” milk or being nursed by other calves, otherwise colostrum will be deficient when the cow calves.

Factors that affect colostrum quality and quantity

• Age of the Cow – The amount of colostrum and the amount of antibody concentration are lower in first and second calvers than in older cows. There is continued antigenic stimulation with age. Older cows also have larger udders, better milk secretion capability and a more efficient antibody transport mechanism. Maintaining heifers in separately from older cow is prudent for both nutritional needs and colostral management.
• Breed and Milking Volume – Large colostral volumes tend to have lower antibody concentrations. Dairy cattle tend to have lower antibody concentrations than beef cattle.
• Nutrition – Protein levels are important for volume, quality and maintaining antibody content. A good nutrition program will increase the immunoglobulin concentration in the colostrum. Discuss with your nutritionist to ensure your cows are receiving appropriate vitamins and minerals.

Colostrum Replacers

Sometimes the calf may not get colostrum. This happens when the dam does not produce colostrum or when the mother dies during birth. In this case, you need to look for an alternative. In large firms you may be lucky to get another dam that has delivered but colostrum can be stored in a freezer at -18 degrees centigrade to -20 degrees centigrade for up to six months or in a fridge at 4 degrees centigrade for a week. This can be given to a calf after being thawed slowly.

The frozen colostrum should never be heated or placed in a microwave as the heat will destroy the antibodies. It is always good to have a colostrum plan to ensure that you have a steady supply of colostrum for the calves. When collecting colostrum, the mother must be in good health. Freshly collected colostrum or those initially frozen should be fed to the calf within an hour.

It is always good to allow the calf to suckle by itself so that it can quickly ingest the required colostrum. Bottle and bucket feeding can also be done to assist a calf to suckle. In cases of prolonged labour as it happened with Alfonse’s calf, the young one may not suckle well and such cases it may need to be assisted to ingest enough colostrum within six hours after birth. Calves that do not get enough colostrum will have weak immunity and can easily succumb to diseases and die at a young age.