COLUSTRUM IS KEY

by Shannon Williams, from the "Lemhi Link"

Colostrum is the first milk produced by the cow. It is required for complete maturation of the calf’s immune system and has an effect on the calf for its entire life. The amount of colostrum varies from cow to cow, heifer to heifer and breed to breed. The amount decreases with each milking. Research done by the University of Wisconsin – Madison determined that the first milking has 6% colostrum and by the fifth milking is only .1%. Production of colostrum by the cow decreases 73% within 12 hours of calving.


The cow has a great influence on her colostrum. A cow produces all her colostrum the last two months of gestation. The age of the cow, pre-calving nutrition, pre-calving vaccinations and calving difficulty all influence the amount and quality. First calf heifers produce five to six percent colostrum while older cows produce greater than eight percent. Older cows have a greater diversity of antibodies present. Cows that are shorted on energy the last 90 days pre-calving have calves that are less vigorous. Cows need to maintain a body condition score of 5 or more and heifers need to be a 5.5 to 6 or greater. When cows are vaccinated in a timely fashion the last few weeks of pregnancy, they have a large amount of specific antibodies. Calving difficulties lead to weak cows that do not clean and mother calves and weak calves do not nurse as well, therefore lowering their intake of colostrum.

Producers need to remember that a freshly born calf has no immunity and is born into a world of bacteria. They go from a nice warm environment into a cold, sometimes damp, mucky environment. The best defense is colostrum. The critical time for absorption of colostrum is the first six hours. The calf loses 50% of its ability to absorb antibodies from the colostrum within 12 hours. A 75 pound calf needs to ingest two to three quarts of colostrums the first 4 to 6 hours. Colostrum intake can be limited by time to first nursing, udder problems, cold stress, weak calf and weak cow. When this happens, producers have the options of supplementing the calf with frozen colostrum or a commercial colostrum product.

Frozen colostrum is best if from a cow of the producer’s herd. Beef colostrum has a higher concentration than dairy colostrum. Colostrum can be stored in the freezer for one year. Do not thaw colostrum in the microwave. Feed the calf three to four quarts in the first 12 hours making sure that the calf receives 10% of their body weight within 24 hours of birth. Healthy calves will suck every ten minutes, so feed the colostrum in small amounts and frequently.

There are many commercial colostrum concentrations available. When a producer purchases one, they need to check the label for number of grams of IgG. This is the amount of colostrum in the package. A calf requires 150 to 250 grams which translates to three to five bags of the best product. Producer’s need to remember these products are supplements, not substitutions.

Colostrum is critical to the long-term productivity of a calf. The time of intake is very critical to the absorption of the antibodies provided by colostrum. The cow, calf, and management all have an effect on the quantity, quality and utilization of colostrum.