A make-or-break moment for the future potential of a calf is within hours of them being born. Receiving colostrum — the first milk produced by a cow after birth that is rich in antibodies, energy, vitamins and minerals that the calf cannot obtain before birth — is essential to a calf’s future.
South Dakota State University Extension beef specialist Julie Walker says the timing of colostrum consumption in calves is critical.
“At birth they should receive at least 5% of the calf’s body weight,” Walker says. “After 24 hours, the calf’s intestine tract cannot absorb the antibodies intact.”
If the calf does not receive colostrum, Walker says you could see an increase in risk of disease, making them more susceptible to pneumonia, sours, septicemia and joint issues.
“Since they lack passive immunity without colostrum, they might be a poor doing calf,” she adds. “This can be seen later in their life. When everything goes right, calves receive colostrum from nursing on the cow.”
North Carolina State University beef Extension veterinarian Tomas Gonzalez agrees that in a normal birth, the calf should be on its feet within about an hour and nursing the cow on its own soon after.
“Most beef operations rely on this natural nursing, and when the cow has good maternal behavior and weather conditions are favorable, this approach works well,” Gonzalez says. “Still, having a colostrum management plan available as a backup is critical, as not every calf nurses adequately in the first few hours.”
Colostrum Replacement
Having a replacement plan prepared before calving helps producers manage abnormal situations quickly and effectively. Walker and Gonzales agree there are three options to replace colostrum: milking the dam to collect the colostrum, colostrum from another cow or commercially available products.
“If a newborn calf is not nursing, the first step is to milk the dam and feed her colostrum to the calf using a bottle or an esophageal feeder [after proper training by your veterinarian],” Gonzales explains. “If this is not possible, colostrum [not milk] from another healthy, properly vaccinated cow in the herd can be used.”
Walker adds that you want to only obtain colostrum from healthy cows, preferably in their third lactation.
“If you have the opportunity to pick the cow you would collect colostrum from, ideally it would be a cow in its third lactation or greater, since this would provide higher-quality colostrum than two-year-old cows,” she says. “It can be difficult to get colostrum from beef cows, so some producers may work with a local dairy producer to get colostrum and freeze it until needed.”
The third option when neither of the above is available is a colostrum replacer. Gonzales says to be sure it is a true replacer, at least 100 g IgG per dose, and not just a supplement. While colostrum replacer is not the same as colostrum from a cow, it can sometimes be the only option and is better than not receiving anything.
“When it is needed, it provides immunoglobulin that helps with passive immunity coverage,” Walker says. “Follow the label when preparing the replacer and get it into the calf as soon as possible. Our best substitute is milking another cow in the same herd, but if you can’t get that, a colostrum milk replacer or substitute is certainly the way to go, and there’s producers that will just keep that on hand just in case they need that.”
Tips For Calving Season
It is often hard to tell if a calf has nursed or not, especially on an older cow. Gonzales recommends watching every newborn long enough to see it stand and actually latch onto the teat. If it hasn’t been nursed within 1 to 2 hours of birth, then step in.
Another tip he shares is to record problem calvings and assisted colostrum feedings. This helps make cull decisions down the road and better prepare for future calving.
Have a colostrum plan before the first calf is born and keep a basic calving kit ready to be prepared before a problem occurs. He says to be sure to identify your high-risk calves, use records to spot problems and work with your veterinarian closely.
“During the calving season, remember that colostrum management is critical to giving calves a strong start and preventing avoidable losses,” Gonzales says.
Your Next Reads:
Your Calving Prep Starts Here: The Essential Checklist
What You Should Know About the 3 Stages of Calving
9 Tips to Ensure Calving Season Success
