EDIS (Sep 2014)
Can Maternal Colostrum Be Replaced by Commercial Products for Feeding Newborn Calves?
Abstract
Colostrum management and feeding are critical for calf health, calves’ future productive life, and farm profitability. Current recommendations state that a calf needs to ingest at least 150–200 g of immunoglobulin G within two hours of birth, but when colostrum quality is poor or unavailable, colostrum replacer may be a suitable alternative. This 3-page fact sheet presents the results of a recent publication that evaluated the effects of feeding maternal colostrum, one dose of plasma-derived colostrum replacer, or one dose of colostrum-derived colostrum replacer on serum total protein, immunoglobulin G concentration, calf morbidity, calf mortality, and weight gain from birth to weaning. Written by Klibs N. Galvao and published by the UF Department of Veterinary Medicine-Large Animal Clinical Sciences, May 2014. VM196/VM196: Can Maternal Colostrum Be Replaced by Commercial Products for Feeding Newborn Calves? (ufl.edu)
