Newborn Calf Care: Evaluation of Colostrum Quality

Kim Clark Author

12/18/2018 Added

103 Plays

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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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[00:00:00.379](pleasant music)
[00:00:20.250]Colostrum is extremely important
[00:00:22.270]to promote a good start in a calf's life after birth.
[00:00:25.820]It is very important to invest time and resources
[00:00:28.980]to make sure the colostrum fed to calves
[00:00:31.620]is of high quality.
[00:00:33.420]Colostrum quality depends on the number of immunoglobulins,
[00:00:36.830]which are the proteins that convey protection
[00:00:39.160]against disease.
[00:00:40.690]There are laboratory tests to determine
[00:00:42.580]the exact amount of these proteins in colostrum.
[00:00:45.590]However, there is also approved
[00:00:47.820]on-farm methods to do the same.
[00:00:50.340]These methods are quick and practical.
[00:00:53.020]The first method is a visual assessment.
[00:00:55.480]Although the most practical and easiest,
[00:00:57.810]it is also the most unreliable.
[00:01:00.590]Always make sure colostrum is clean and free of manure.
[00:01:04.140]It should have a thick consistency.
[00:01:06.140]If colostrum has a high content of proteins,
[00:01:08.640]it will be very thick.
[00:01:10.070]The thicker the better.
[00:01:11.600]Colostrum will have a yellow coloring.
[00:01:14.040]Avoid feeding any colostrum that looks brown
[00:01:16.850]or has blood in it.
[00:01:18.660]Be mindful of mastitic milk, as it can be watery or thick
[00:01:22.500]and undesirable for the calf to consume.
[00:01:25.770]The second method to evaluate colostrum quality
[00:01:28.870]is with a large, thermometer-like glass instrument
[00:01:31.870]called the colostrometer.
[00:01:33.630]It measures the specific gravity of colostrum
[00:01:36.230]by measuring how thick a sample is, and this correlates
[00:01:39.250]to the immunoglobulin content of the colostrum.
[00:01:42.600]It is important when using the colostrometer
[00:01:45.000]to measure quality when colostrum is at room temperature.
[00:01:49.180]Cooler temperatures will cause the colostrum to thicken,
[00:01:52.060]resulting in overestimation of its quality.
[00:01:55.540]When the instrument floats in the green zone area,
[00:01:58.150]it indicates high quality colostrum,
[00:02:00.530]or more than 50 grams of immunoglobulins
[00:02:02.940]per liter of colostrum.
[00:02:04.610]Medium quality, or between 20 and 50 grams
[00:02:07.411]of immunoglobulins per liter of colostrum,
[00:02:10.170]is within the yellow area.
[00:02:12.150]Very low quality, or less than 20 grams
[00:02:14.637]of immunoglobulins per liter of colostrum,
[00:02:17.080]is in the red area.
[00:02:18.800]Colostrum in the green and yellow zones
[00:02:21.100]is okay to feed calves as first and second feedings.
[00:02:24.380]We should avoid feeding colostrum
[00:02:26.110]that falls in the red zone as a first feeding colostrum.
[00:02:29.530]Total grams of immunoglobulins fed during the first feeding
[00:02:33.050]should equal, or be greater, than 150 grams.
[00:02:36.900]For example, if colostrum is reading in the green,
[00:02:39.660]then three to four liters should be fed.
[00:02:42.330]The third practical and reliable method
[00:02:44.580]to evaluate colostrum quality is with a Brix refractometer.
[00:02:48.620]It is an instrument that measures sugar content
[00:02:51.410]in a variety of solutions,
[00:02:53.200]and has been adapted to correlate this measurement
[00:02:55.940]with the content of immunoglobulins in colostrum.
[00:02:59.500]There is an analog, or manual model,
[00:03:01.460]like the scope of a rifle, where the eyepiece
[00:03:03.660]is held up to the light for reading.
[00:03:06.010]It is common to see a lot of variation with the analog model
[00:03:09.410]because the scale may look blurry.
[00:03:12.200]Therefore, it is recommended to use
[00:03:13.960]the electronic, or digital version when possible,
[00:03:16.640]because it allows more consistent readings.
[00:03:20.090]With either version, the reference value
[00:03:22.210]for high quality colostrum is 22% Brix or higher.
[00:03:26.620]This is equivalent to an immunoglobulin G concentration
[00:03:29.950]of 50 grams per liter.
[00:03:31.930]Any colostrum used for the first feeding
[00:03:34.210]should be greater or equal to 22% on the Brix scale.
[00:03:38.520]Whether you use the analog or digital refractometer,
[00:03:41.810]make sure it is calibrated periodically
[00:03:44.020]using distilled water, which should read at 0% Brix.
[00:03:48.040]We encourage you to consult with your veterinarian
[00:03:50.520]or nutritionist to determine the frequency of calibration.
[00:03:54.850]Colostrum replacers should be used
[00:03:57.010]when high quality colostrum
[00:03:58.420]collected from a cow is not available,
[00:04:00.720]or when trying to eliminate contagious pathogens,
[00:04:03.610]such as a disease called Johne's.
[00:04:06.078]Colostrum from positive carriers of Johne's disease
[00:04:09.110]should never be fed to calves.
[00:04:11.550]Calves on the farm produce specific antibodies
[00:04:14.070]to infectious pathogens that they have encountered
[00:04:16.460]in their life and from their environment.
[00:04:18.830]Therefore, when calves receive colostrum replacers,
[00:04:21.930]they will not receive the added benefits
[00:04:23.750]from the colostrum sourced from a cow on site.
[00:04:27.020]Good colostrum replacers have a high content
[00:04:29.610]of immunoglobulins per dose, which should be
[00:04:32.300]at least 150 grams of immunoglobulins at first feeding.
[00:04:36.920]The amount of water used and temperature of this water
[00:04:39.680]are very important in preparing colostrum replacer.
[00:04:43.110]Read and follow label instructions
[00:04:45.050]to deliver consistent and adequate amounts
[00:04:47.440]of colostrum replacer.
[00:04:49.294](pleasant music)

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Newborn Calf Care: Evaluation of Colostrum Quality

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