Newborn Calf Care: Harvest and Storage of Colostrum

Kim Clark Author

12/18/2018 Added

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Often times dairy farm employees are trained what they need to do to perform their job, but why they need to perform certain tasks is rarely explained. In addition to this, there is a language barrier between dairy owners and managers and employees.

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[00:00:00.797](lively guitar music)
[00:00:20.765]Harvesting of colostrum begins with prepping
[00:00:23.165]the cow's teats and udder to minimize the pathogen load
[00:00:26.115]in colostrum during the first milking.
[00:00:29.085]Remember that this cow has not been milked in about 60 days
[00:00:32.561]so the pathogen load on the teats surface
[00:00:34.534]is greater than when she is lactating.
[00:00:37.543]The cow's teats should be thoroughly cleaned using
[00:00:40.012]a disinfecting pre-dip solution like the one
[00:00:42.253]used on the lactating cows.
[00:00:44.845]The disinfecting solution must have a contact time
[00:00:47.347]of at least 30 seconds to effectively kill bacteria.
[00:00:52.083]The solution is then wiped off with
[00:00:53.640]a dry, clean towel or rag.
[00:00:56.087]The objective is to harvest milk from clean and dry teats.
[00:01:00.381]Having sanitized milking equipment is also
[00:01:02.600]essential for collection of clean colostrum.
[00:01:06.141]The milking unit should be well cleaned and sanitized
[00:01:09.021]before and after milking the cow to avoid any
[00:01:12.071]cross-contamination to the next cow being milked.
[00:01:15.843]After harvesting colostrum, it is important
[00:01:17.992]to know the immediate intent for the colostrum.
[00:01:21.191]Will it be fed shortly after collection
[00:01:23.139]or will it be stored for future use?
[00:01:25.805]If not being fed shortly after collection, within one hour,
[00:01:29.485]proper storage procedures should be taken to avoid further
[00:01:32.987]bacterial growth as the number of bacteria present in
[00:01:36.536]colostrum can double in less than 20 minutes.
[00:01:40.855]Colostrum may be refrigerated for no more than 24 hours
[00:01:44.317]because bacteria can still grow slowly
[00:01:46.529]even at refrigerated temperatures.
[00:01:49.624]Colostrum can also be stored in a freezer.
[00:01:52.157]If freezing colostrum, it is recommended to put it
[00:01:54.691]in a gallon zip-top bag and immediately
[00:01:57.143]place flat in a freezer.
[00:01:59.357]Bags are better than bottles because they allow for
[00:02:01.789]more even and quick thawing which minimizes
[00:02:04.061]the presence of frozen chunks of colostrum.
[00:02:07.736]To thaw, place these bags in a water bath no warmer than
[00:02:11.096]140 degrees Fahrenheit or 60 degrees Celsius.
[00:02:15.426]Then bring colostrum to feeding temperature slowly.
[00:02:19.037]This temperature should be close to the calf's
[00:02:20.813]body temperature at about 102 degrees Fahrenheit
[00:02:24.295]or 39 degrees Celsius.
[00:02:27.253]Do not try to shorten the thawing process by using water
[00:02:30.746]above the recommended temperature.
[00:02:32.786]Doing so will destroy or inactivate some of the antibodies
[00:02:35.953]that a calf needs to survive.
[00:02:38.796]It is recommended to thaw only
[00:02:40.380]the necessary amount of colostrum.
[00:02:42.898]Repeated cycles of freezing and thawing
[00:02:44.960]may decrease the quality of the colostrum.
[00:02:49.409](lively guitar music)

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Newborn Calf Care: Harvest and Storage of Colostrum

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