ANSC 433 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Colostrum, Cattle, Immunoglobulin G
23 May 2018
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18. ANSC 433: Animal Health and Disease 1
Feeding Dairy Cattle
Life Cycle of a Dairy Cow
- Goal is for one calf per year
- A lot of reproductive problems begins with
their nutrition
- Most critical period of heifer = first 3 weeks
Feeding Calves and Replacement Heifers
Calves – Birth to 4 Months of Age
- The goal of feeding calves is to keep them alive and start them growing well
- Newborn calves are removed from their dams soon after birth
- Milk feeding programs:
o Liberal milk
o Conventional limited milk system
- Where most mortality happens
- Calf removed immediately from the dam after birthing
Colostrum
- The first milk following calving
- Higher % of total solids vs whole milk
o Higher fat, protein, mineral and vitamin content
o Immunoglobulin (6%)
o IgG (3.2 g/100 mL)
- Calves require colostrum because:
o Born without a functioning immune system = passive immunity from mother to calf through colostrum
o Cannot synthesize antibodies = why they need colostrum
o Acts as a laxative to aid and start calf digestive function
- Colostrometer = used to measure quality (can have different quality)
- Collect colostrum from dam and feed fresh or store it (up to a week in the fridge, or can be frozen or fermented)
- Tends to be acidic, need to neutralize to not harm the calves
Feeding Management
- Does not have to be from the dam that gave birth, but must be from a cow on the same environment for the microorganisms
that are present in the environment and to be able to adapt to the same conditions
- Types of colostrum: fresh, frozen or fermented (replacement available, but not recommended)
o Fermented = allow colostrum to ferment as a way to preserve it, but is not commonly done
- Feed colostrum as soon as possible:
o 2 L in two feeding within first 12 h
o Force-feed if necessary
- Goal = 100g IgG (10mg/mL blood IgG)
Milk vs Milk Replacers
- The rumen is not fully developed until the calf is 200 kg
- The calf must elevate its head to nurse when using a nipple to activate esophageal groove
o It loses ad oets the esophagus diretl to the true stoah so the rue iroorgaiss does’t breakdown
the colostrum
o It is also activated by the fat and protein content in the colostrum
- Whole milk is excellent feed, but often too expensive
- When whole milk is used, it is often from sick cows and should be pasteurized since it may contain diseases transmissible to the
calf drinking it
o Prone to transmit disease
o Recommended to get pasteurized if possible
Second calf
36 mo
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
A lot of reproductive problems begins with their nutrition. Most critical period of heifer = first 3 weeks. Calves birth to 4 months of age. The goal of feeding calves is to keep them alive and start them growing well. Newborn calves are removed from their dams soon after birth. Calf removed immediately from the dam after birthing. Higher % of total solids vs whole milk: higher fat, protein, mineral and vitamin content. Born without a functioning immune system = passive immunity from mother to calf through colostrum. Cannot synthesize antibodies = why they need colostrum: acts as a laxative to aid and start calf digestive function. Colostrometer = used to measure quality (can have different quality) Collect colostrum from dam and feed fresh or store it (up to a week in the fridge, or can be frozen or fermented) Tends to be acidic, need to neutralize to not harm the calves.
