Colostrum, is considered the elixir of life

It’s common knowledge that animals need to suckle soon after birth, but why is it important?

As animals are born without immunity to disease, a newborn relies on colostrum (the first milk) from its mother until its own immune system has developed.

The calf can usually fend for itself by one to two months of age.

The health and survival of an animal is dependent upon how quickly and how much colostrum it drinks in its first few hours of life.

Colostrum contains concentrated essential proteins called immunoglobulins, which protect the animal against disease in its early life.

These immunoglobulins can be absorbed from the animal’s stomach directly into the bloodstream, but only during the first 24 hours.

If animals do not receive sufficient, high quality colostrum during the first 24 hours, they will be more susceptible to disease.

Pregnant animals can be vaccinated to prior to giving birth to ensure that their colostrum is of high quality.

A difficult birth is the most common cause of insufficient colostrum intake, as it reduces the ability of the animal to suckle.

Early bonding between the young animal and its mother will maximise the chance of the animal receiving sufficient colostrum.

Supplements are less efficient at providing immunity, so producers may wish to have a stored supply of quality colostrum available.

This can be achieved by freezing high-quality colostrum collected from the first milking.

An animal that has received insufficient colostrum from its mother may be fed stored colostrum using a nipple bottle or a stomach tube.

Finally, it should be remembered that colostrum may provide good immunity but it will not overcome the effects of an animal being born in a dirty environment.