The beef on dairy industry has undergone remarkable transformation over the past decade. As calf values have increased, dairy-beef production has evolved from a by-product of milk production into an important revenue stream for many dairy farms. The widespread adoption of sexed semen, combined with a declining North American beef cow herd, has created this opportunity for dairy farmers. In Canada, crossbred calves accounted for 60% of auction market sales in 2025, compared with just 7% in 2016. Additionally, beef semen sales to US dairies has grown by 260% over the past five years. At the same time, feedlots are scrambling to fill pens as the beef cow herd has fallen to its lowest level since the early 1960s. As a result, calves that were once viewed as difficult to market now routinely command prices exceeding $1400 USD.

However, with increased value comes increased scrutiny. Feedlots and calf raisers have long recognized that early-life management on the dairy farm influences downstream health and performance. A recent comprehensive review published in the Journal of Dairy Science highlights the magnitude of this challenge. Antimicrobial use in preweaned dairy-beef calves remains extremely high, with enteric morbidity rates approaching 85% and respiratory morbidity exceeding 80% in some systems. Further, between 61% and 87% of non-replacement calves receive at least one antimicrobial treatment during the preweaning period. This confirms that the way that these beef on dairy calves are raised before they hit the calf ranches and feedlots is imperative. The encouraging news is that simple management adjustments offer a major opportunity to improve calf health, welfare, and long-term performance.

New Dairy Science Research Confirms the Importance of Early Calf Health

McCarthy et al. (2026) and team at the University of Guelph put together a review focused specifically on pre-feedlot management of beef on dairy calves. They covered the full lifecycle from genetics to colostrum through transport, antimicrobial use, nutrition, weaning and the impacts of differing management on feedlot health. Their conclusion was clear, for dairy-beef production to be sustainable, the health and welfare challenges of the pre-feedlot period must be addressed. Currently, these animals are falling through the cracks compared to dairy heifer calves and straight bred beef calves.

This review made strong connections between calf management in the first few hours of life and how that ripples through every subsequent stage of production. The colostrum that wasn’t delivered in a timely fashion shows up as the antibiotic treatment required for pneumonia at 3-weeks of age. The low-volume milk replacer program shows up as the calf that lost 3-18% of its body weight during transport and took weeks to recover feed intake. The calf that was inadequately vaccinated, poorly prepared for transport, or shipped at a young age shows up at the feedlot as a discounted animal due to poor performance or high treatment and morbidity rates. Management decisions made during the first few weeks of life influence many of a calf’s future health and performance outcomes, long before it even leaves the dairy farm.

Colostrum Management: The Foundation of Dairy-Beef Calf Health  

The McCarthy report lays out what many in the industry have observed for years: non-replacement calves, despite record high prices, often experience different colostrum management practices than replacement heifers on the same farm.  These calves are fed later and given colostrum with higher bacterial contamination and insufficient IgG concentration limiting their chances of achieving successful transfer of passive immunity. This likely explains why up to 43% of calves hitting calf ranches have failure of passive transfer of immunity (FPTI).

The cost of getting this wrong is widely understood but rarely talked about. A meta-analysis (Raboisson et al., 2016) found that calves with FTPI face twice the risk of mortality, 1.75 times the risk of bovine respiratory disease (BRD), and 1.5 times the risk of diarrhea. The same study estimated FPTI costs $70 USD per dairy calf and $92 USD per beef calf. Further, a Canadian study examining calves entering feedlots found that calves with inadequate transfer of passive immunity had a morbidity rate of 56.8% compared with just 16.7% among calves with adequate passive immunity.  Calves with inadequate passive immunity also required approximately twice as many antibiotic treatments during the feeding period (Abdallah et al., 2022).

What does this look like in practice? For a 400-calf dairy with a 30% FTPI rate, that means 120 calves at roughly $70 to $92 USD/hd in direct costs. Before accounting for lost weight gain, delayed recovery, labour demand, increased risk of future treatments and discount at the feedlot, this is $8,400 to $11,040 USD hit for not delivering timely, quality colostrum.

The Antibiotic Problem: A Symptom Not a Strategy

Perhaps the most striking finding in the McCarthy review is this: 61–87% of non-replacement calves receive at least one antibiotic treatment during the preweaning period. In some systems, enteric morbidity approaches 85% and respiratory morbidity exceeds 80%.

These findings highlight a critical calf health challenge for the dairy-beef industry. While antibiotics remain an essential veterinary tool, focusing on morbidity prevention by improving colostrum management, nutrition, housing and transportation practices may reduce disease pressure and the need for treatment altogether.

The EU has already moved to restrict prophylactic and metaphylactic antimicrobial use under regulations EU 2019/6 and EU 2019/4. In Canada and then US, since December 2018 and June 2023 respectively, all medically important antimicrobials are prescription-only. The trajectory is clear. As regulatory and market expectations continue to evolve, producers who invest in disease prevention and antimicrobial stewardship will be best positioned to succeed.

Veterinary Recommended Solutions for Healthier Dairy-Beef Calves

The review highlights several promising strategies that reduce antimicrobial dependence without compromising animal welfare:

• Risk-based classification on arrival. Rather than treating every calf, use objective on-arrival indicators such as dehydration status, sunken flank, umbilical disease, serum total protein to identify calves at greatest risk of disease. Targeting treatment to high-risk calves can substantially reduce antibiotic use while ensuring that the animals most likely to benefit still receive intervention. Von Konigslow et al. (2025) found this approach effectively reduced antimicrobial usage in beef on dairy calves, though mortality outcomes need continued monitoring.
• Extended colostrum feeding. Providing colostrum for the first two weeks post-arrival to non-replacement calves at a rearing facility reduced diarrhea incidence in calves with low serum IgG (Wang et al., 2025). This is a practical, low-tech intervention that leverages the gut-health benefits of colostrum beyond the traditional first-day window.
• Colostrum as therapy. Carter et al. (2022) demonstrated that feeding colostrum at the onset of diarrhea hastened resolution, offering a possible alternative to antibiotic treatment for enteric disease.
• Better milk replacer formulation. Prophylactic antimicrobials in medicated milk replacers have shown inconsistent or negative impacts on calf health and gut microbiota (Berge et al., 2009; Buss et al., 2021; Cangiano et al., 2023). Replacing medicated MR with higher-quality, non-medicated formulations that include adequate fat and protein may address the underlying nutritional deficiency driving disease susceptibility.

Emerging evidence also suggests that crossbred calves may require fewer antimicrobial treatments than Holstein males (McCarthy et al., 2025), potentially because of improved passive immunity transfer at lower colostrum volumes. This is another inherent advantage of beef-on-dairy genetics that gets erased when colostrum management is inadequate.

In Conclusion

The life of a beef on dairy calf doesn’t start at the feedlot, it starts at the dairy. Modern science continues to demonstrate that colostrum management, passive immunity, nutrition and early-life calf care have lasting impacts on health, antibiotic use, welfare and feedlot performance.

As beef on dairy calves become an increasingly valuable component of North American beef production, producers have a unique opportunity to improve outcomes through evidence-based and economics-backed management. Delivering high-quality colostrum quickly and consistently remains one of the most effective investments a producer can make to improve calf health and productivity long-term.

The feedlot already recognizes the value of a health calf. The science confirms it. The economics support it. The question is no longer whether beef on dairy calves are worth the investment, it is whether producers can afford to overlook the management practices that shape their future success.

Learn more on how to optimize calves for future success with SCCL’s On-Farm Colostrum Management Guide

 

Sydney Fortier, M.Sc.

Marketing Communications Specialist, SCCL

Colostrum management, calf health, and what the latest research means for your farm

The preweaning period is the riskiest time in a dairy calf’s life. Disease and death are most concentrated in these first weeks, and the consequences reach far beyond what’s visible at the time. Early-life illness doesn’t just create short-term costs — it fundamentally changes what that animal becomes.

Calves that experience illness before weaning don’t just cost more to raise. Research consistently shows they grow slower, convert feed less efficiently, produce less milk as adults, get sick more often, are harder to treat, and are significantly more likely to be culled or die prematurely. The economic and welfare implications are compounding, farm-wide, and often invisible until the damage is already done.

When we assess calf programs, there is rarely one glaring failure. More often, it’s a series of small oversights — an inconsistent colostrum volume here, a timing gap there that accumulate into poor outcomes. This is the signal that calf health management must shift from reactive treatment toward proactive prevention. Calfhood health is not a youngstock issue. It is a lifetime profitability issue.

New Research Quantifies the Problem

A recently published study from the University of Guelph (Edwards et al., 2026) provides some of the clearest farm-level evidence to date on what drives preweaning illness in dairy calves. Researchers followed 2,349 Holstein calves from birth to 56 days of age across 9 commercial dairy farms in Ontario, Canada. Farm-recorded health data were analyzed alongside birth weight, colostrum feeding records (number, volume, and quality of feedings), calving ease, and birth date. Blood sampling and thoracic ultrasound were used to detect both clinically apparent and subclinical disease.

The findings were striking:

• 61% of calves experienced at least one health event before weaning
• 23% were treated for diarrhea; 48% were treated for respiratory disease
• More than 50% had lung consolidation on ultrasound — often with no outward signs of illness
• 3.2% of calves died before 56 days of age, with a median age at death of 19 days

The presence of subclinical lung consolidation in over half of calves is particularly important for producers and veterinarians to internalize. These calves are not visibly sick, they are not being treated, and yet structural lung damage is occurring — damage that will silently reduce respiratory capacity, feed efficiency, and productivity for the rest of that animal’s life. Ultrasound screening reveals a disease burden that farm records alone will never capture.

 

What Made the Difference: Season and Passive Immunity

Season of birth was associated with the incidence of neonatal calf diarrhea, bovine respiratory disease, lung consolidation, and mortality. Additionally, excellent transfer of passive immunity was associated with lower odds of BRD, lung consolidation, and mortality.

Season of calving is a real and meaningful risk factor, but it is largely outside a producer’s control. It will vary based on region, climate, and barn design. Transfer of passive immunity (TPI), however, is the most important controllable factor influencing calf health, survival, and future productivity — and it remains an area where most farms have room to improve.

In this study, calves with good or excellent TPI:

• Had fewer cases of bovine respiratory disease (BRD)
• Showed significantly less lung damage on ultrasound
• Had lower preweaning death loss

While this study did not find a statistically significant link between poor TPI and increased treatment for diarrhea, this is likely a function of study size. Larger population studies — including Dubrovsky et al. (2019) — have consistently demonstrated that relationship. The absence of a finding is not the absence of an effect.

 

Why Colostrum Is Still the Most Important Tool You Have

A newborn calf is born without functional circulating immunoglobulins due to the structure of the bovine placenta. From the moment of birth, that calf is immunologically vulnerable until colostrum-derived antibodies are absorbed. Colostrum is not a box to tick — it is the calf’s first functional feed and first line of immune defense.

The 4 Qs of colostrum management — Quick, Quantity, Quality, Squeaky Clean — are well established, but this research reinforces a critical fifth:

QUANTIFY.

Getting colostrum into calves is necessary but not sufficient. Knowing whether calves are actually absorbing enough antibodies to achieve meaningful protection is what separates a colostrum program that exists from one that works.

The gold standard for measuring this is serum immunoglobulin G concentration (g IgG/L serum) tested in calves between 24 and 48 hours of age. Lombard et al. (2020) established the benchmark tiers — poor, fair, good, and excellent — that are now widely used to assess passive transfer status and predict disease risk. These thresholds give farms a measurable, repeatable standard to work toward.

The target: ≥70% of tested calves achieving good (18–24.9 g IgG/L) or excellent (≥25 g IgG/L) passive transfer. Hitting this benchmark means your colostrum program is not merely adequate — it is optimized for calf health, survival, and long-term productivity.

Regular testing also gives farms something invaluable: the ability to detect when something changes. A shift in colostrum quality, a new person feeding calves, a change in timing — all of these will show up in passive transfer results before they show up in your treatment records.

Practical Takeaways for Veterinarians and Producers

Every farm is different. Genetics, barn design, calving management, housing, nutrition, and staffing all shape calf outcomes. But the evidence from Edwards et al. and the broader literature is consistent: no matter what else varies, colostrum management remains the single most modifiable lever for improving preweaning health.

Key action points:

1. Feed colostrum within 1–2 hours of birth. Gut closure begins rapidly; timing directly affects IgG absorption efficiency.
2. Feed adequate volume. Current evidence supports feeding 8.5–10% of birth body weight at the first feeding to reliably achieve excellent TPI.
3. Test colostrum quality. Use a Brix refractometer — target ≥25% Brix for fresh colostrum, ≥50 g IgG/L.
4. Keep it clean. Bacterial contamination in colostrum directly impairs IgG absorption. Total plate counts should be <100,000 CFU/mL; coliform counts <10,000 CFU/mL.
5. Test your calves. Serum total protein via refractometer (target ≥8.4 g/dL) between 24–48 hours is a practical, low-cost proxy for IgG status. Aim for ≥70% of calves in the good-to-excellent range.
6. Consider ultrasound screening. The prevalence of subclinical lung consolidation found in this study (>50%) suggests farms may be significantly underestimating their respiratory disease burden. Incorporating thoracic ultrasound into calf health assessments provides a more complete picture.

The Bottom Line

This research from the University of Guelph does not overturn what we know — it sharpens it. Transfer of passive immunity remains the strongest modifiable predictor of whether a calf will get sick, how severely, and whether it will survive. Season matters, but we can’t change the calendar. Colostrum management is where every farm, regardless of size or system, can make a measurable difference.

The question is no longer whether colostrum matters. It’s whether your program is working well enough and understanding you can’t manage what you don’t measure.

 

Introduction

Colostrum is natures first and most powerful nourishment for a calf, setting them up for short- and long-term health and productivity. Notably, the fat that is in colostrum (besides the obvious antibodies) is ESSENTIAL in getting calves up, excited to be alive and thriving through to weaning and as a member of the herd.

Unfortunately, sometimes nature falls short. Heifers are notorious for poor quality or low quantity of colostrum, hot days discourage colostrum intake, twins can be slow to suck and compete for the same stock of colostrum and difficult calvings can mean weak suckle reflexes and stressed calves with a reduced ability to absorb the nutrients and bioactives from colostrum.

In these situations, management matters. Colostrum is the first feed and supports immune defence, gut development and tissue repair. In order to do so many amazing things, it is rich in:

On-farm there will be situations when nature is unable to provide these essential nutrients and enzymes. In those cases a powdered colostrum must be available and FAST so these calves don’t miss out.

Identifying a Good Colostrum Product

Powdered colostrum has been on the market for years and serves as a convenient tool for producers. The rule of thumb is simple: if you walk away feeling like you’ve gotten a good deal, it’s probably not worth feeding. By that point, you’ve already invested thousands of dollars into feed, genetics, and infrastructure just to get that calf on the ground. On top of that, you’ve put in the time and labour to assist the birth, prepare and deliver colostrum, and closely monitor the calf.

With cattle prices remaining strong, every decision matters. Cutting corners at this stage risks undermining everything you’ve already invested. Instead, focus on giving each calf the highest level of care possible. A robust colostrum protocol ensure’s calves develop full immunity and receive the nutrition they would have naturally gotten from their dam. This sets them up for a healthier start and a stronger return on your investment.

Labels are your best friend. Some products advertise themselves as whole bovine, but they remove the fat through defatting. Defatting removes the valuable colostral fat that helps calves regulate body temperature and stimulates the metabolism of brown fat. These are critical functions in the first hours of life under cold or heat stress. Manufacturers then replace that fat with alternatives such as plant-based oils or milk fats. While this will look like the same % of fat, the fats themselves are not having the same biophysical response that the fat in colostrum has evolved for thousands of years alongside a calf does. The natural development of colostrum to promote a synergy between proteins, fats and bioactive compound is the perfect elixir for calves to achieve their potential. A concoction of manufactured products can simulate, but can never replace the power of natural whole bovine colostrum.

Why Colostral Fat Matters

What’s the problem with alternative fat sources?

• Do not contain colostral bioactives evolved to support calves specifically in early calfhood
• Alters the natural composition of colostrum
• Reduces the authenticity and functional value
• Misleads consumers when included in a “bovine colostrum” product. Colostrum without colostral fat is not whole
• True bovine colostrum performs best when you keep it intact as a whole product

Beyond this, colostral fat is a carrier of vitamins A, D, E, and K, phospholipids and essential fatty acids. These act to support immune modulation, gut barrier integrity and cellular communication. Removing and replacing it with cheaper components weakens the overall functional benefits of colostrum.

Nothing but a whole bovine colostrum replacer will do in this situation and SCCL’s line of products offers the power of maternal colostrum with convenience, safety and peace of mind.

Specifically, our Calf Choice Total – HiCal product brings the goodness of a robust antibody profile from over 1.4 million cows, proven safety, cleanliness and convenience with the highest proportion of bovine colostral fat that you can find on the market. Offering 100g of IgG per bag and over 20% colostral fat, calves are protected, thriving and better primed to reach their genetic potential.

Stay informed and subscribe to the Colostrum Counsel to optimize your colostrum management.

Colostrum has evolved alongside calves to serve as more than just an antibody bolus. It provides critical nutrients essential to survive the jarring transition from utero to the outside environment and delivers signals that tell tissues how to grow, differentiate and defend.

This liquid gold is a calf’s first functional feed. It contributes to tissue growth, metabolism and disease resistance. Many of these effects are happening even before antibodies have even entered a calf’s circulation and last for weeks after the initial dose which have long-term implications on health and productivity. Missing out on this, means limiting a calf’s ability to reach its full potential.

Colostrum has 4 primary functions to support calves and their development:

 

1. Promoting growth
2. Antimicrobial action
3. Priming of the immune system
4. Nutrition and stimulating metabolism

 

Promoting Growth

Missing out on timely, adequate and high-quality colostrum does not just leave a calf vulnerable in terms of immunity, it also deprives them of key factors involved in early gut development. This leaves calves with permanently underdeveloped intestines which impacts early life average daily gain (ADG) and future feed efficiency.

Some of these growth promoting and cell development triggering compounds include:

• Amino acids
  • Needed for the building of proteins in the body and are essential to keep up with the high protein and nitrogen turnover in early-calf life
• Insulin Growth Factors 1 and 2 (IGF-1 and IGF-2)
  • Drive intestinal villi growth and crypt depth
  • Improve nutrient absorption
  • Linked to an increase in average daily gain (ADG)
•  microRNA
  • Regulate gene expression
  • Add in gut development
  • Promote cell viability, proliferation and stem cell activity in the intestines

 

Antimicrobial Action

After spending 9 months in utero, the transition to the external environment is a shocking and filthy one. Barns have dirt, manure, materials from previous calvings, pathogens and bacteria among other things. While animals who live in this environment are healthy and thrive due to being adjusted to that environment and having a functional immune system, the same cannot be said for newborn calves who are taking it in for the first time with not a single antibody in circulation. While colostrum will provide this first immunity, antimicrobial compounds in the colostrum provide broad local action before IgGs even have the opportunity to identify and destroy potential invaders.

Specific compounds with antimicrobial action found in colostrum include:

• Lactoferrin
  • Functions by binding to iron which starves pathogenic bacteria that require it to proliferate
• Lysozyme and lactoperoxidase
  • These are enzymes that physically protect the calf by breaking down the cell walls of bacteria species
• Oligosaccharides
  • These serve as decoys, binding areas in the gut to directly prevent pathogens from binding in those same areas
  • They also are essential in supporting the growth of beneficial microbial populations in the intestines

 

Priming the Immune System

Colostrum (as we know it) serves to give the calf its first immune system. The antibody profiles and concentration are influenced by a cow’s exposure to pathogen’s in her own environment, properly timed vaccines, dry period length and nutrition. However, the impact colostrum has on the immune system goes beyond just IgG1 and IgG2. It also includes bioactives that train and assist the immune system so that it is as strong and effective as biologically possible.

A few examples include:

• Antibodies
  • Immunoglobulins (IgG), primarily IgG1 and IgG2. What’s the difference? Basically, IgG1 are specific to colostrum, and are designed for passive transfer to provide passive immunity for newborn calves. IgG2s are the antibodies most commonly found circulating in adult animals, while they can provide some immunity, it is not as efficient as passing through the gut as IgG1s are designed to do.
• Leukocytes and cytokines
  • These compounds guide immune cell maturation which promotes regulatory pathways rather than just attack responses. This sets the calf up for the long-run by building a solid foundation of immune function.

In addition to providing maternal immunity for the first few weeks of life, there is evidence that good colostrum early in life promotes better vaccine responses later in life, larger due to these bioactives.

Nutrition and Stimulating Metabolism

These compounds go beyond just the standard protein, fat and lactose we know come in high quantities in colostrum and milk. These are designed to be rapid energy and to efficiently kick start metabolism and give calves a boost to get up and get going.

• Hormones
  • Compared to milk, colostrum has a higher concentration of androstenedione, estrone, estradiol, cortisol, cortisone, GnrH, GH, TRH, insulin, glucagon, leptin, adiponectin and motilin.
  • The hormones kick start the endocrine and immune systems, and can contribute to maturation of cells in the gut.
• Fat soluble vitamins and antioxidants
  • These include vitamins A, D, E, K, and beta-carotene which are vital for early development and survival.
  • They are also essential in the antioxidant defense system of calves which helps protect them from oxidative stress.
• Colostral fat
  • This fat is different than the fats found in regular milk. It functions as a rapid energy source to get the calf going and to keep it going.
  • This energy metabolism also creates heat, as newborn calves are low on thermal insulation and have a low metabolism. In fact, calves require energy stores to create heat in temperatures at as high as 15°C, especially if they are wet or in drafty environments. This helps keep the calf warm and full of energy to get up, suckle and get excited for a second meal.
  • The metabolism it stimulates is also beneficial in heat stress. Energy is required to release heat from the body and having an efficient energy source to accomplish this especially when intake may be impacted is vital.

Take Home Messages

Colostrum it is more than just the IgGs that are working to keep that calf healthy and strong. The more we learn about colostrum, the more we are learning that while timing and quantity are essential, good quality is non-negotiable.  SCCL offers a range of 100% whole bovine colostrum products, never defatted and always preserving what makes colostrum the liquid gold that it is. Allowing nature to do what nature does best and supporting calves in not just surviving but thriving as a member of the herd.

 

Sydney Fortier MSc.

Communications Specialist, SCCL

Colostrum is the foundation of calf health. It provides the newborn calf with immunoglobulins through passive transfer that are essential for survival, disease resistance, and long-term performance. Decades of research have shown that calves with higher levels of passive immunity have lower risks of morbidity and mortality, improved growth, and better lifetime productivity. As a result, most dairy producers are well aware of the importance of feeding colostrum quickly and in sufficient volume after birth.

Despite this awareness, consistent passive immunity outcomes remain difficult to achieve on many farms. Even herds with strong colostrum management programs continue to see variability in serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentrations among calves. This inconsistency is often frustrating, particularly when recommended best practices for timing and volume are being followed.

A key reason for this challenge is that maternal colostrum itself is highly variable. Colostrum quality can differ substantially between cows, between calvings within the same cow, and even within the same herd on the same day. Much of this variability is driven by biological and physiological factors that are difficult, and in some cases impossible, to fully control. As a result, relying solely on maternal colostrum without a strategy to manage this variability can expose calves to higher risk of failed transfer of passive immunity.

 

What determines colostrum quality?

Colostrum quality is most commonly defined by its IgG concentration, as IgG is the primary antibody responsible for passive immunity in the newborn calf. While colostrum volume, cleanliness, and bacterial load are also important, IgG concentration remains the key determinant of how much immunity a calf ultimately absorbs.

The concentration of IgG in colostrum is influenced by a wide range of biological and management factors, including parity, dry cow management, and timing of colostrum collection.

Parity. Parity is one of the most consistent drivers of colostrum quality. Multiparous cows not only produce a greater volume of colostrum, but their colostrum typically contains higher concentrations of IgG and total protein and lower fat concentrations compared with that of first-calf heifers.

Dry cow management. Short dry periods, typically defined as less than 47 to 51 days, have been associated with reduced colostrum volume, likely due to impaired mammary cell growth or altered mammary gland function during the formation of colostrum. Prepartum nutrition, particularly energy balance and micronutrient status, can further influence immune function and colostrum synthesis. Environmental stressors, such as heat stress during late gestation, have also been associated with reduced colostrum quality.

Timing of colostrum collection. Immunoglobulin concentrations decline rapidly after calving as colostrum transitions toward mature milk. Delays in first milking, even by only a few hours, can substantially reduce IgG concentration. In fact, IgG concentration in colostrum decreases by ~4% for every one-hour delay in collection after calving.

Many of these factors interact and vary from cow to cow. Even under excellent management, it is not realistic to expect uniform colostrum quality across all calvings. This variability is not a reflection of poor management, but rather a biological reality of colostrum production.

 

How variable is maternal colostrum?

The extent of colostrum quality variability observed in commercial dairy herds is substantial. In a study in 2019, Dr. Sandra Godden at the University of Minnesota defined high quality colostrum as containing more than 50 g of IgG per liter. Using this standard, multiple studies have shown that a considerable proportion of colostrum fails to meet this threshold. A large study from the United States involving 104 dairy farms across 13 states found that 23% of colostrum samples were classified as poor quality (containing less than 50 g IgG/L). Similar findings have been reported in a study of 18 dairy farms in New York State, where between 20 and 24% of colostrum samples were considered poor quality, depending on cow parity.

Other production systems show even greater variability. In a study of 21 pasture-based dairy farms in Ireland, 44% of colostrum samples contained less than 50 g IgG/L, highlighting the challenges of consistently achieving high-quality colostrum in grazing systems. Canadian data shows comparable variability. A study conducted in Quebec collected colostrum samples from 51 dairy herds, and found the average IgG concentration was just above the commonly used threshold at 56 g/L. However, the distribution was wide, with IgG concentrations ranging from approximately 21 g/L to 97 g/L. Taken together, these findings suggest that ¼  to 1/5 colostrum feedings may fall below recommended quality benchmarks.

This variability means that two calves fed the same volume of colostrum at the same time after birth may receive dramatically different amounts of IgGs. In practical terms, a calf fed four liters of high-quality colostrum may receive more than double the IgG mass compared to a calf fed the same volume of poor-quality colostrum. From the calf’s perspective, these represent entirely different biological starting points.

 

Assessing colostrum quality

Given the inherent variability in maternal colostrum quality, assessing colostrum before feeding is an important step in reducing risk to the newborn calf. On-farm evaluation is most commonly performed using a Brix refractometer. Brix percent has been shown to correlate well with colostrum IgG concentration and provides a rapid, practical tool to support real-time decision-making.

Using a threshold of 22% Brix or greater, there is a high level of confidence that colostrum is of high quality. Specifically, Dr. Buczinski and Dr. Vandeweerd determined that colostrum measuring at least 22% Brix had a 94% probability of containing more than 50 g IgG/L in 2016. Colostrum meeting or exceeding this threshold is generally suitable for first feedings, while lower values indicate a greater risk of inadequate IgG delivery to the calf.

When used consistently, Brix testing allows farm staff to distinguish between high- and low-quality colostrum and make informed decisions about how colostrum should be allocated. This approach supports more consistent IgG delivery to calves and provides a foundation for standardized colostrum management protocols.

 

What can we do with poor quality colostrum?

When colostrum quality is assessed, a proportion of colostrum will fall below recommended thresholds. Discarding poor-quality colostrum is often impractical, particularly in herds with a high proportion of first-calf heifers or during periods of environmental stress. As a result, producers must decide how best to manage colostrum that does not meet quality targets while still protecting calf health.

Colostrum enrichment offers a practical solution. Enrichment involves supplementing poor-quality maternal colostrum with colostrum replacer to increase the total IgG mass delivered to the calf. This approach allows producers to maximize their own colostrum by retaining the broader bioactive components of maternal colostrum while reducing the risk associated with low IgG concentration.

The utility of this strategy was demonstrated by Dr. Lopez at the University of Guelph in 2023. In that study, enriching low-quality maternal colostrum from 30 g IgG/L to 60 g IgG/L resulted in an increase of serum IgG concentrations, from 12 g/L to 20 g/L. Arguably most importantly, they observed failure transfer of passive immunity, dropped from 19% to 0%. When maternal colostrum containing 60 g IgG/L was further enriched to 90 g IgG/L, smaller increases in serum IgG were observed. However, enrichment increased the proportion of calves achieving excellent passive immunity, defined as serum IgG concentrations greater than 25 g/L, from 50% to 62% compared with calves that were only fed the maternal colostrum measuring at 60 g IgG/L.

Together, colostrum testing and targeted enrichment provide a practical pathway toward standardized colostrum management and more predictable calf health outcomes.

 

Putting it all together

Taken together,

these principles support a simple, decision-based approach to colostrum management that reduces variability and improves consistency without investment in infrastructure or major increase in labour demand.

Take Home Messages

Colostrum quality is inherently variable, even in well-managed herds, and IgG concentration is the primary driver of passive immunity. Feeding colostrum quickly and in adequate volume is important, but it cannot overcome poor-quality colostrum, which occurs in a substantial proportion of feedings. Assessing colostrum quality using a Brix refractometer and enriching low-quality colostrum provides a practical, standardized approach to reduce variability and deliver more consistent passive immunity across calves.

 

Written by Dr. Dave Renaud

Veterinary Epidemiologist, University of Guelph

We all dream to win the lottery, and I can proudly say I have.. unfortunately only a measly $4.00 of winnings. Not exactly the “jackpot”, it didn’t benefit my finances in any impactful way. We can think of calf colostrum management as the lottery as well. Are all your calves receiving colostrum? Is it excellent and maximally impactful? Like my lottery winnings, just receiving any colostrum does not mean a calf has received impactful nutrients and immunity. Luckily, unlike playing the lottery, we have control over the quantity, quality and impact of our colostrum management.

Calves are born with no antibodies (the basis of what makes up an immune system) as they do not pass to the calf through the bovine placenta like they would in other animals. The only opportunity to receive immunity is through colostrum and passive transfer of antibodies from the gut to the bloodstream. For decades, this transfer of immunity was viewed as either pass or fail. The failure of passive transfer meant a higher risk of illness or death, and it still does, but we now understand there is more nuance. In 2020, new guidelines regarding newborn calf immunity were published¹ describing four categories of passive transfer of immunity; excellent, good, fair, and poor representing > 25.0, 18.0 to 24.9, 10.0 to 17.9 and <10.0 g/L of serum IgG (Figure 1). We now know that with improving levels of immunity transferred, the risk of illness is reduced. All calves are valuable, so ensuring all receive excellent levels of immunity to remain healthy should be a priority.

Maximizing the use of maternal colostrum from the dams in your herd should be the first step in ensuring excellent immunity transfer to calves. It is an already available and valuable resource and provides antibodies specific to the environment calves are being introduced into. However, colostrum quality can be variable, meaning not all of it will be effective at providing excellent passive transfer (Figure 2). Quality can vary with time from birth to collection, lactation number, and nutrition, among other factors. Colostrum quality is deemed to be excellent at 25% Brix or more. The variability and clear margins for what constitutes excellent quality demonstrates the importance of testing each collection of colostrum using a brix meter (on-farm tool) or utilizing radial immunodiffusion (RID) testing (laboratory test). Colostrum not passing the test? Not to worry, as maternal colostrum can be enriched with dried whole bovine colostrum as a simple method to ensure every calf receives an excellent level of immunity and limit the amount of valuable maternal colostrum that needs to be dumped.

In addition to the crucial first feeding, a second feeding of excellent quality colostrum within the first 12 hours of life significantly improves the antibody levels in a calf’s bloodstream.² As shown in Figure 3, enrichment of maternal colostrum can extend volume and ensure quality remains excellent to allow for a second feeding.

The benefits of enrichment don’t end there. Enrichment using whole bovine dried colostrum broadens the antibody spectrum of maternal colostrum. Any single collection’s antibody profile depends on the individual dam’s exposure and vaccinations status to specific pathogens her ability to channel those antibodies into colostrum, and time for colostrum production prior to calving.

Maternal colostrum and SCCL’s whole bovine dried colostrum contain a high proportion of IgG1 and smaller amount of IgG2. IgG1 concentration is important, as it is re-secreted on mucosal surfaces to protect the calf from diarrhea and pneumonia, IgG2s do not (consider this when purchasing a colostrum replacer). Plasma-based products have nearly equal proportions IgG1: IgG2, reducing its protective capability.³ designation specifically ensures consistent quality, known cleanliness, and effective antibodies to a wide range of pathogens. SCCL’s USDA and CFIA Veterinary Biologic designation specifically ensures consistent quality, known cleanliness, and effective antibodies to a wide range of pathogens.

The fat in maternal colostrum (colostral fat) has been shown to ignite calves’ brown fat metabolism which is vital to thermoregulation. Calves receiving colostrum replacers that are not whole, are deficient in colostral fat as fat is replaced with alternative, usually plant derived, sources. This has been shown to reduce growth and increase the risk of respiratory disease.

Feeding excellent quality, clean colostrum, whether maternal, whole dried, or a combination of the two is essential for calf immunity, capacity to thermoregulate, and true epigenetic programming. Avoid formulas of proteins and fats from other sources, as products assembled from serums and oils cannot match the benefits of whole colostrum. SCCL’s whole bovine colostrum products contain all the immune, metabolic and growth factors naturally found in maternal colostrum and are ideal for enriching to give every calf their very best start with excellent quality colostrum.

 

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Citations

1. Lombard, J. et al., Consensus recommendations on calf- and herd-level passive immunity in dairy calves in the UnitedStates. Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 103, Issue 8, 7611 – 7624
2. Hare, K. S., et al. Feeding colostrum or a 1:1 colostrum:whole milk mixture for 3 days after birth increases serumimmunoglobulin G and apparent immunoglobulin G persistency in Holstein bulls. Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 103,Issue 12, 2020, Pages 11833-11843
3. Godden, S.M., Haines, D.M., Hagman, D. Improving passive transfer of immunoglobulins in calves. I: Dose effect offeeding a commercial colostrum replacer, Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 92, Issue 4, 2009, Pages 1750-1757

Adapted from case study: A holistic approach to colostrum management: Enrichment of maternal colostrum combined with extended colostrum feeding as control measures for bovine rotavirus-associated neonatal calf diarrhoea. Ryan C. T. Davies, Katharine Denholm

Introduction

Neonatal Calf diarrhea (NCD), also known as scours, remains one of the most significant health challenges in pre-weaned calves contributing to high treatment rate, risk of death, and decreased future productivity on both dairy and beef operations. Even mild cases can have long-term impacts on growth and overall performance. While diarrhea is often seen as an unavoidable part of calf rearing, most outbreaks can be linked to management factors that can be improved with the right attention to detail.

Here are 4 steps you can take when dealing with diarrhea to improve calf outcomes:

1. Review colostrum management

Ensure the colostrum being fed has at least 50g of immunoglobulins (IgG) per liter and limit bacterial contamination through clean handling practices such as feeding as soon as possible and IgG safe pasteurization (140 °F or 60 °C for 60 min). Calves should receive colostrum within the first 6 hours after birth.

• • • ‣ Colostrum should be no less than 22% brix
    • ‣ Use refractometer to confirm brix % and the SCCL app to see how much enhancement with powdered colostrum is needed to increase to excellent quality. Calves should be receiving either 200 to 300 g of IgG or 10% of their bodyweight in quality colostrum.

Use 100% bovine colostrum. Hierarchy of colostrum sources maternal > fresh or frozen from another dam in the herd > powdered colostrum replacement. It is recommended to not use colostrum from another farm to avoid outside pathogens.

2. Environment

Are calves being born in a clean environment? Employ a protocol to clean calving pens between uses (and individual or group housing pens), if calving on pasture, employ a Sandhills or Foothills calving system to avoid pathogen exposure from older calves to younger calves.

Have nipples and tubes specific for sick animals so do not accidentally infect healthy calves.

3. Adapted transition feeding protocol – colostrum fortified milk replacer

Switching to a straight milk replacer after the initial colostrum feeding, rather than using transition milk or a colostrum-enriched milk replacer, can deprive calves of key bioactive components such as oligosaccharides, insulin-like growth factors, and lactoferrin, which they would naturally receive when suckling from their dam. However, transition milk, while often available, may not be ideal for calves due to inconsistency and variable quality including IgG content and potential contamination. Feeding a milk replacer ration fortified with colostrum powder can deliver a more consistent feed, that is less labor intensive, and reduces pathogen exposure compared to feeding transition milk.

A recent case study highlighted that supplementing 70g of colostrum replacer in the milk replacer ration 2x daily can reduce diarrhea and improve titres against pathogens while having a reduced bacterial load compared to transition milk.

4. Follow-up and evaluate success

Even small adjustments can have a significant impact on calf health. Understanding where you started, what needs to be improved, what data needs to be collected to make a decision, and what adjustments to management made the difference is important in making impactful changes to improve animal health and the bottom line by preventing future outbreaks.

Conclusion

Small changes can have a big impact. Understanding areas on your operation where efficiency can be increased and pathogen loads can be decreased are key to healthy calves. Giving calves their best start by introducing them into a clean environment, setting protocols to ensure successful transfer of passive immunity with a robust colostrum protocol, and following up to measure success means continual progress of the productivity and health of your herd.

Work with your veterinarian and team to set up a plan, to identify potential risks to prevent diarrhea before it happens and to minimize the impact if it does.

Adapted from case study: A holistic approach to colostrum management: Enrichment of maternal colostrum combined with extended colostrum feeding as control measures for bovine rotavirus-associated neonatal calf diarrhoea. Ryan C. T. Davies, Katharine Denholm

Introduction

Diarrhea consistently throws a wrench into an already busy time of the year for calf managers whether said calves are black and white spotted, red, white, blue or any other variation. Preventing diarrhea before it strikes is one way to ensure animals can perform to their potential and reduce the already abundant workload during calving. Identifying the root causes of an outbreak and adopting a holistic approach can be the key to improving future calf health, helping give calves their best start and setting them up to become productive, long-lasting members of the herd.

A recent case study investigating a diarrhea outbreak on a UK dairy operation provided key insight on how refining colostrum management can make a major impact. When a dairy farmer noticed 100% of his calves aged 8 to 21 days were showing signs of diarrhea, they worked with their veterinarians to see what the cause could be and explore management changes to prevent future outbreaks. What they discovered was that among all the new technologies and tools to control disease, sometimes going back to the basics with good hygiene, standardizing care, and proper timing is all it takes to set calves up for success.

The Case

The herd consisted of 600 Holstein cows with an autumn block calving system, housed indoors and milked twice daily. Calves were housed individually until 10 days old where they were grouped in pens of ~40 head until weaning at 7 weeks. As soon as possible after birth, calves were fed 3.5L of pasteurized (140 °F or 60 °C for 60 min) maternal colostrum (over 22% Brix), followed by a second 2L feeding of colostrum. However, delays in the first feeding were common because of limited pasteurizing capacity. After the two colostrum feedings on day one, calves were placed on a milk replacer ration.

Despite high standards for hygiene, reducing exposure to unnecessary pathogens, and being fed good-quality colostrum in adequate amounts, farm management reported that every calf aged 8 to 21 days (n = 430) were experiencing diarrhea (runny or watery fecal consistency), and mortality in calves less than 21 days was 6%.

Investigation and Findings

The veterinary team collected fecal samples from six diarrheic calves which all tested positive for bovine rotavirus (BRV-A) and E. coli. Blood samples were taken from 12 calves and using the new guidelines (see table below) were analyzed for serum total protein (STP) to assess transfer of passive immunity. Results showed:

‣ 43.8% had failure of transfer of passive immunity (FTPI),

‣ 37.5% had ‘fair’ passive immunity

‣ 18.8% were classified as ‘excellent’

For reference, the target benchmarks are: >40% of calves at excellent status, ~30% at good status, ~20% at fair status and <10% at poor status (see table below).

Recommended Changes

Diarrhea can be a complex disease with many causes and several contributing factors. As a result, veterinarians took a few steps back, considered their observations and test results, and implemented three changes to optimize colostrum management.

1. Feed colostrum as soon as possible after birth

Although colostrum quality was good, delays resulting from harvesting and pasteurization (taking approximately 2-3h), compounded by the limited capacity of the pasteurizer, likely reduced calves’ potential for antibody absorption. To address this, the farm began freezing excess pasteurized colostrum to have a readily available supply to newborn calves. This reduced the average time of feeding of first feeding from several hours to within 20 min after birth. 

2. Standardize Colostrum Quality Through Brix Testing and Enrichment

While the average Brix (%) was 24% for cows and 22% for heifers, there was significant variation in quality (20% to 30% in cows and 12 % to 25% in heifers). Although no colostrum under 22% Brix was fed, this is a minimum recommendation, a Brix of 30% or ideally feeding at least 300g of IgG is preferred to support successful transfer of passive immunity. To achieve this, the farm began enriching their collected colostrum with a100% bovine colostrum powder (SCCL CCT 100) to standardize colostrum quality to 30% Brix (correlates to 100g/L of IgG). The amount of powder needed to reach 30% Brix was determined using the ‘Colostrum Calculator’ app.

Tip: Not all bovine colostrum powders are created equal. Choose a product that is 100% natural bovine colostrum rather than one stripped of colostral fat and supplemented with whey or vegetable fats.

3. Extended Colostrum Feeding

Previously, calves were abruptly transitioned from colostrum to milk replacer on day two, likely increasing diarrhea risk due to loss of gut-level immune protection and lack of additional nutritional benefits typically provided via transition milk. To remedy this, a 10-day extended colostrum feeding program was implemented by supplementing the milk replacer twice daily with 70g of whole bovine colostrum powder dissolved into 140 ml of water. This mimicked the benefits of transition milk by providing consistent antibody levels without the pathogen risk or supply limitations of raw transition milk.

The Results

By implementing a few small but meaningful changes in the last four weeks of calving, calf health improved dramatically compared to calves born in the first 10 weeks. 

‣ Calves in the ‘excellent’ category for STP jumped from 19% (first 10 weeks) to 84% (last 4 weeks)

‣ Diarrhea incidence dropped from 100% (430 calves) to 8.6% (6/70 calves)

‣ Mortality in calves less than 21 days dropped from 6% to 3%

Key Takeaways

So what can we draw from this case to improve management for calf rearers across the board?

‣ Enriching maternal colostrum with whole bovine colostrum powder is a practical on-farm method to standardize antibody delivery to calves. This means, less variability in the quality of colostrum being delivered to individual calves and consistently more successful transfer of passive immunity.

‣ Closing the window between when a calf is born and when the first colostrum is fed is essential.

‣ Employing methods like keeping a stock of frozen pre-pasteurized, good quality colostrum to be thawed when needed maximizes the potential for that calf to absorb essential antibodies.

‣ Supplementing whole bovine colostrum powder into a milk ration mimics the benefits of feeding transition milk without having to be concerned with limited supply or risking exposing young calves to pathogens.

While there is no one-size-fits-all approach, taking a look at your operation with your veterinarian and identifying opportunities to strengthen colostrum management can be the key to better calf health, giving the next generation of your herd their best start to grow healthy and stay productive.

The first 24 hours of a calf’s life are the most critical. As we prepare for calving, taking inventory of the tools that need to be on hand should be top of mind before the first calf hits the ground. Make sure everything goes smooth this calving season by being prepared with our veterinarian-approved checklist.

1. Vet Contact Information:
   • Add this number to your favourites list! Make sure they can be called as soon as possible if things so sideways.
   • * Calving Pro Tip *
     • Post the name and number of your vet on the fridge in the calving barn alongside your address or land location so anyone can acquire help during an emergency.
2. Post Calving Protocol:
   • Talk to your vet before calving and develop a plan to deliver essential vaccines, vitamins, minerals or medications that should be given immediately post-calving or may be needed in the busy weeks to come.
   • Ensure consistent calf care. Be sure that any decided protocols including dosages, and medication/vitamin/vaccine names are clearly displayed for you and any staff or calving help.
3. Supplies to Assist Calving:
   • Calving can turn into an emergency situation quickly and you don’t want to be caught searching the barn looking for key materials when crucial time is passing. Be sure you have these essential items on hand, cleaned, disinfected, and ready to go:
     – Clean bucket
     – Disinfectant (Chlorhexidine is recommended)
     – Chains and handles
     – Calf jack
     – 7% iodine for dipping navels
     – Lubricant (high quality, water-based)
     – Palpation (obstetrics or OB) sleeves and latex exam gloves
4. Calf Tagging Supplies:
   • This includes tags, a calf tagger, and tag marker or maker. Make sure you have all the tags you’ll need for calving season on-hand.
5. Record Keeping Supplies:
   • Whether you use a calving book or input records online be sure you have the tools needed to keep good and accurate records throughout the calving season.
   • Recommended records to keep:
     • Calf sex, dam, birth date, birth weight, calving score in addition to any other record important to track to understand and achieve the goals of your operation.
   • * Calving Pro Tip *
     • Keep records of sick animals, the date, what drug was administered, if a second dose is needed and if there are any withdrawal times. Keep track of second or repeat doses on your calendar and make sure you and whoever else is responsible for treating calves understand the system so calves aren’t treated twice or not at all!
6. Good Quality Colostrum:
   • It is a non-negotiable – calves NEED good quality and adequate colostrum as soon as possible. Sometimes this means human intervention. There is no such thing as feeding colostrum too early.
   • While straight from the dam is always best, if mom is dry and you don’t have any in stock, having SCCL (a 100% whole bovine colostrum replacement) allows timely colostrum feeding. This ensures that not matter the circumstances calves get the immunity they need to reach their potential and support your operation’s goals. Make sure you have enough to supplement at least 10% of the herd.
   • * Calving Pro Tip *
     • When re-heating colostrum NEVER microwave it. Allow colostrum to warm in a hot water bath to 110-120°F (43-49°C). When preparing a powdered supplement or replacement, use water that is already warmed to the appropriate temperature. Higher heat and microwaves denature the essential proteins (IgGs) that provide protective immunity to newborn calves.
7. Bottles, Nipples, Tube Feeder:
   • This is important to get fluids in calves whether that be colostrum. electrolytes, or milk replacer.
   • Disinfect between uses.
   • When it comes to tube feeders – plastic tubes offer more flexibility and reduce the chances of injuring the calf. However, they are more prone to damage, make sure you’re replacing them whenever you start to notice scarring in the tubing as this can be a breeding ground for bacteria.
   • * Calving Pro Tip *
     • Have at least 2 sets of bottles/nipples and tube feeders. One for healthy calves and another for sick calves to avoid cross contamination. You’d hate to expose a healthy newborn calf who just needs a boost of colostrum to the pathogens from a couple week old scouring calf that needed electrolytes earlier that day.

 

Download the Printable PDF Checklist!

Introduction

October marks International Mental Health Awareness Month. Across the globe, farmers face mounting pressures: economic uncertainty, climate variability, trade disruptions, and the emotional toll of caring for land and livestock. Organizations like The Do More Agriculture Foundation are leading the way in breaking the stigma around mental health in agriculture, offering tools like AgTalk and #TalkItOutTag to foster connection and resilience. 

But mental health isn’t just about responding to crisis, it’s also about preventing stress before it starts. And that principle applies just as powerfully to calf health.

Colostrum: The First Step Toward a Resilient Herd

Colostrum management is one of the most critical interventions in a calf’s life. The first feeding, ideally within the first 2 hours after birth, delivers essential immunoglobulins (IgG), nutrients, and energy that protect the calf from disease and support early development (Arnold, 2014; USDA APHIS, 2021). Research shows that calves who receive adequate, high-quality colostrum are:

• Less likely to suffer from scours and respiratory illness
• More likely to thrive and reach growth milestones
• Less likely to require costly treatments or rearing interventions
• More likely to become productive members of the herd (Lactanet, 2025; Dean et al., 2025)

Healthy Calves Means Healthier Farmers

When calves start strong, farmers experience fewer setbacks, less stress, and greater confidence in their herd’s future. Good colostrum management reduces the emotional and financial strain of dealing with sick animals and that’s a form of mental health support too!

Whether you’re in North America or anywhere else in the world, the message is the same: Investing in early care leads to long-term resilience.

So this October, as we talk openly about mental health in agriculture, let’s also talk about the power of prevention, in our communities and in our calf pens. A healthy start with colostrum is a step toward a healthier future, for your herd and for you.