• Herd colostrum may be unsafe because of the presence of infectious diseases such as Johnes, BVD, BLV, Salmonella, and others.
• Quantity or quality of available colostrum may be highly variable.
• Not enough labour to properly collect, test, store, and feed herd colostrum.
• In high value or high-risk calves with circumstances such as dystocia or cold temperature, calves need extra, good quality colostrum fast that’s high in immunoglobulins and natural colostral fat.
• To assure every calf receives their first feed as soon as possible after birth to cover energy and immunity needs.

Colostrum products should be made from actual whole bovine colostrum. Many products on the market are a combination of many ingredients that attempt to mimic maternal colostrum. There should be a single ingredient on the label: bovine colostrum. The product should also contain true colostral fat. Fats and oils from other sources do not provide the same benefits to the calf. In one study, calves fed defatted colostrum replacer had a 50% increase in respiratory disease in the first 90 days of life and a 6% increase in mortality. They also had lower rectal temperatures and spent less time standing and more time in a lying position.

Yes, there can be benefits from feeding smaller amounts of colostrum after day one. Colostrum can be fed after the first day of life to improve gastrointestinal health to create a healthier, more productive calf. Naturally, cows continue producing smaller amounts of colostrum after a calf is born, so this application mimics that transition milk by adding colostrum powder to the calf’s whole milk or milk replacer diet for the first two weeks of life. In situations where diarrhea is a problem, the immunoglobulins will provide local immunity in the intestines to restore gut health.

• First calf heifers
• Heat stress, cold stress
• Poor teat or udder confirmation
• Leaked colostrum from the udder before calving
• Produces a very small volume of colostrum
• Nervous, poor mothering instinct, or rejects calf
• Slow recovery from calving, or ill
• Genetic differences in colostrum quality
• Poor nutrition

• After collecting and testing your own colostrum with a Brix refractometer or hydrometer, colostrum that is not going to be used for immediate feeding can be stored in two different ways; cooled in the refrigerator or frozen in a freezer.
• If the colostrum is going to be fed later in the day or within 24 hours, it can be refrigerated between 1 to 1.5°C (33 to 35°F).
• If the colostrum is not going to be used before 24 hours, it can be frozen within the first hour of collection at -20 to -21°C (-5°F). This colostrum could be used safely for about 6 months, and some would argue that it can be used for up to a year.
• It is important to remember that repeated freeze thaw cycles dramatically damage and affect the functional antibodies in colostrum and therefore life span of the frozen colostrum is reduced.

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