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Colostrum even looks like liquid gold! The jug on the left holds colostrum while the jug on the right is 'regular' milk. Can you see the difference? Exactly one time per lactation each of our cows produces colostrum. Or as I like to think of it: Liquid Gold. This designation isn’t due to monetary value, although it does command a pretty penny if you are able and willing to sell it. The real value of colostrum comes when it is in the tummy of a new born calf!
Colostrum is on my mind because, as many of you know, we just had a new calf and I always have that moment of stress wondering if the mama cow will have enough colostrum for her calf!
Colostrum is on my mind because, as many of you know, we just had a new calf and I always have that moment of stress wondering if the mama cow will have enough colostrum for her calf!
Antibodies bind to antigens (e.g. bacteria & viruses) and inactivate/destroy them. Diagram credit: Indiana University: Purdue University Indianapolis Colostrum is the very first milk that a cow (or really any mammal) gives after giving birth. Most of the time, colostrum is thicker and yellower in color than ‘normal’ milk. Most importantly, it is a powerhouse of nutrition and immunity. Colostrum has more fat and protein in it than regular milk to help provide the calves with a boost of energy to get started. However, the really important thing is that colostrum contains antibodies (IgG) produced by the mother. Antibodies are proteins that help fight illness. These antibodies from colostrum are all that a baby calf has to protect itself in the first few weeks of life. They are born with little to no immunity and require several weeks to begin building their own system that is capable of responding to threats on its own.
I sure am glad my humans fed me lots of good colostrum! So, colostrum is pretty magical stuff. It is absolutely vital to the well being of the newborn calf and tends to have an effect on the long term health of the animal as well. But, just feeding a calf colostrum isn’t always enough. The right amount has to be fed at the right time! Calves need to get at least a half gallon of colostrum in the first 2 hours of life. We have Jerseys so a half gallon is about all they can handle at one time but larger breeds like Holsteins often get a whole gallon!
Why the first 2 hours? Because that is when the calves’ bodies are most receptive to the transfer of antibodies. Colostrum is still beneficial up to 12 hours after birth but it becomes less and less effective the older the calf is at the time of feeding. Because of this, we feed a half gallon immediately after birth for optimal effectiveness and another half gallon 10-12 hours later for good measure.
Enjoy!
Brun Ko Farm
Why the first 2 hours? Because that is when the calves’ bodies are most receptive to the transfer of antibodies. Colostrum is still beneficial up to 12 hours after birth but it becomes less and less effective the older the calf is at the time of feeding. Because of this, we feed a half gallon immediately after birth for optimal effectiveness and another half gallon 10-12 hours later for good measure.
Enjoy!
Brun Ko Farm
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