
The Colostrum Counsel – Unlocking the Power of Transition Milk: Evidence and Application
July 2025
The importance of colostrum within the first hours of a calf’s life is universally recognized, as newborncalves are born with a naive immune system and are entirely dependent on colostrum to acquire passive immunity. Traditionally, this feeding is limited to a single dose of high-quality (> 50g/L of IgG) colostrum within the first hours post-birth. However, new evidence suggests that extending colostrum feeding using transition milk (TM), defined as milkings 2 through 6 post-calving (Godden, 2008), can provide significant health and performance benefits to young calves during the critical early weeks of life.




