Colostrum's influence goes beyond gut and immune development, it may also be shaping the signaling systems that regulate appetite and metabolism. This study looked at how colostrum feeding strategy affects neuroendocrine gene expression alongside the gut bacteria populations tied to those signals. For producers thinking about long-term growth and feed efficiency, not just short-term immunity, this points to colostrum's role extending further into a calf's development than the passive transfer window alone.
"Effect of colostrum feeding strategies on the expression of neuroendocrine genes and active gut mucosa-attached bacterial populations in neonatal calves" — J. Hromádková, Y. Suzuki, S. Pletts, J. Pyo, T. Ma, Y. Chen, M.A. Steele, L.L. Guan. J Dairy Sci. 2020 Sep;103(9):8629-8642.