Dairy Herd Improvement Notes, April, 1980

              Cooperative Extension New MeJ{ieo Sto'e
"COLOSTRUM"
The Only Source of Passive
Protection for the Newborn Calf
Slip-ups in the calf management program seem to occur on some dairy farms with regu l a rity .
A calf mortality rate of 15-20% seems to be fairly common . Losses of 40-50% may not be
too unusual. The high value of dairy replacement he i fers today demands a critical look
at the high mortality rate.
This newsletter w11l not attempt to cover the complex problem of calf raising but w11l
attempt to look at only one of the often neglected practices -- GETTING ENOUGH COLOSTRUM
INTO THE CALF WITIlIN ONE HOUR AFTER BIRTH . Only the first milk colostrum is the "true"
colostrum that protects the calf against disease . This colostrum is unusually high in
both the disease protecting antibody proteins (immunoglobulins) and in Vitamin A, A
calf is born with little or none of either ; therefore , it must be supplied by the colostrum.
The intestinal lining of the newborn calf w11l allow absorption of these immune bodies fo r
about 24 hours . However, absorption begins to diminish and decreases rapidly after 12
hours . The gut becomes relatively impermeable to immune body transfer after 24 hours .
Leaving the calf with the cow does not assure an early colostrum intake . In one series of
observations 25% of the calves did not nurse their darns within 8 hours after birth . Of
the 75% that did, the average time of first suckling was 4 hours . If a calf does not or
cannot nurse within an hour after birth, it should be assisted to either nur se or be hand­fed.
Handfeedlng a ne .... born calf is an unpleasant task. Some dairymen use an enema bag
to force feed colostrum to a newborn calf. The calf may object at first, but by steadying
the head and squeezing the ja .... on a nipple, it .... ill soon learn that this is .... hat it real l y
.... ants . Large calves such as Holstein and Brown S .... iss should have lJ.:j to 2 quarts (3-4
pounds) of the "first milk" colostrum .... ithin an hour after birth . Calves of smaller breeds
should consume at least one quart (2 pounds) .
A few reports have sho. ...u that calves allo .... ed to stay .... ith their dams had higher blood Ig
levels than separated calves. This "maternal influence" supports the recommendation that
calves should remain with their dams for 24-48 hours. In contrast , removing the calf
early and handfeeding assures that the calf is fed more precisely the proper amount and
on the proper schedule. Obviously these recommenda tions are not compatible and the dairy­man
must make a choice of system. The most important [actor seems to be GETTING "TRUE"
COLOSTRUM INTO THE CALF WITHIN ONE HOUR AFTER BIRTH.
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