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Colostrum Making the most of a home grown resource The importance of colostrum as a source of antibodies (immunoglobulins) is acknowledged by most dairy farmers. In addition to immunoglobulins, colostrum contains numerous nutrients such as protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. The fat and lactose, which provide energy in the colostrum, are necessary for the calf to begin thermogenesis (heat production) and maintain body temperature. Without the energy source that colostrum provides, the calf would only have about 18 hours until its stores of body fat would be depleted¹. In addition to energy, the protein, vitamins and minerals in colostrum are at much higher levels than those found in whole milk¹. The increased concentration of nutrients ensure that the calf receives adequate amounts to initiate its metabolism to assist in the development of its digestive system. Extra ingredients Researchers have also discovered that colostrum contains numerous growth hormones (insulin like growth factor I and II, epidermal growth factor, transforming growth factor, and nerve growth factor) as well as insulin, cortisol, and thyroxine². In fact it contains such concentrated feed value, in addition to its prophylactic properties that Colostrum could almost be described as a home grown ‘medicine’. For this reason, it should not only be fed for the first day of life, but for several days after. Grow your own! However, the dry cow producing this miracle of nature, it is often under pressure. We can’t change her genetic makeup but we can change the husbandry in the last trimester of pregnancy to allow her to nurture the growing foetus and produce a bag full of good quality colostrum. This was much easier in the days when cows peaked at 25litres/day. Nowadays with so many having the potential to peak at 50 litres, the colostrum is potentially much more dilute and many cows are producing colostrum with inadequate antibody levels. Unfortunately, the highest yielding cows with the best breeding potential may often have the poorest colostrum. Having bred these cows, it is important to recognise the problem we have created for ourselves and give this conundrum our full attention. Pregnant cows need space Ask any pregnant woman how she would feel if she had to fight for her food - she would be somewhat reluctant! Similarly, heavily pregnant cows do not like to be bullied. Provide 24 hour access to fresh high quality forage of the types cows are going to receive in early lactation. This means spoiled food removed from the troughs, fresh food fed daily and ration always in front of the cows. Give the cows as much room and space as possible. Current recommendations are 1.25 m2 lying area per 1,000 litres of milk (i.e. 10 m2 for an 8,000 litre cow). Allow 3 foot (90 cm) trough space per ‘close up’ dry cow. Limit social movement of cows as far as possible. No changes of group or pen within 2 weeks of calving. Provide a bulky diet balanced in energy and protein, rich in Vitamins, particularly Vitamin E. The current trend to exclude high potassium grass silages (containing natural vit E) and replace with straw, (containing no Vit E) makes the inclusion of Selplex (selenium) and Vit E especially important. Selenium & Vit E are anti-oxidants which help cells maintain their integrity. They help enhance the immune system, prevent white muscle disease in the calf, promote healthy foetal membranes and protect against mastitis. Other major minerals such as Calcium, Magnesium and Sodium should also be balanced to help prevent milk fever and prevent leakage of milk prior to calving. Dry cows should be prevented from eating ad lib salt as it leads to excess oedema in the udder. The addition of beta glucans in the form of yeast will help to stimulate her immune response, helping antibody production. As colostrum contains 76% water, adequate clean fresh drinking water should be easily available to help promote healthy digestion and metabolism. What affects Ig levels? Extremes of temperature have been shown to suppress antibody levels, so be aware of this in very hot and very cold spells as you may need to feed more of this poor quality colostrum. There are also genetic differences between breeds. We have to accept that Jerseys have the highest Ig levels and Holsteins the lowest. Heifers generally have poor colostrum and the older cows have better colostrum .Also any cows exposed to a recent disease challenge and those receiving vaccination have a wider variety of antibodies in their colostrum. A tendency towards shorter dry periods (less than 45 days) can affect Ig levels. Why harvest colostrum? Cows calve 24 hours a day, farmers sleep 8 hours a night. Inevitably some calves will be born at night, and even during the day it can be inconvenient to milk a cow and feed colostrum in the 6 hours after birth. Some cows suckle their dam, but who has time to stand and supervise for 20 minutes? Consequently many calves do not receive colostrum within the 6 hour time frame and subsequently suffer ill health during calf hood and loss of production for the rest of their lives. Owing to large herd sizes and lack of staff to supervise fresh calved cows there is a need to adopt a rigorous colostrum routine in order to make sure all calves have the same chance of fresh or frozen colostrum soon after birth. How much? When? Quality? Best practice 10% of birthweight In the first 6 hours 50 – 140 mg Ig G per ml Either, let the calf suckle the cow until the belly is full (approx. 20 minutes) under supervision. Making sure the cow is in a clean dry place, with minimal faecal contamination on the teats. Or, if this is impossible, then snatch the calf and proceed as follows: The 40kg calf should be snatched as soon as it is licked dry, or sometimes dried with a towel. It is then put in a clean, warm, pen and offered 4 litres of good colostrum, preferably by teat, or if the calf is reluctant it can be drenched using an oesophageal feeder. Colostrum should be fed every 12 hours for at least 3–5 days before introducing milk powder. What is Good Colostrum? Ideally use colostrum from the mother, failing that use fresh or defrosted colostrum from a cow with a known good health status. Never use colostrum from a cow carrying Johnes or T.B. Reject samples containing blood or mastitis. Good colostrum is clean colostrum, take care with hygiene as the calf struggles to absorb antibodies from dirty colostrum. Harvesting Collect colostrum from the first milking as soon as possible following birth. Do not allow the calf to suckle prior to collecting. Sanitize the udder to stop pathogens entering colostrum. Cool quickly to 15°C within 30 minutes of milking. Drop a frozen bottle 6 www.wynnstay.co.uk
of ice into the bucket of colostrum, and store in a fridge 1-2°C for up to 7 days. Never let colostrum sit at room temperature, it is an excellent breeding ground for E Coli and other pathogens. The E Coli population doubles every 20 minutes at body temperature! The addition of calcium formate will help inhibit bacterial growth. Testing There is little point in freezing & saving poor quality colostrum. Testing is important as ‘only the best will do’ as a first feed. Test colostrum for its antibody status. This can be done either with a Colostrometer, or a Brix refractometer. The colostrometer is the cheapest cow side method, but the refractometer is more expensive and robust. Good colostrum will register ‘green’ on the colostrometer (> than 50mg Ig/ml) or + 22 on the refractometer. Colostrum which registers ‘green’ on the colostrometer can be saved in the freezer. ‘Perfect Udder’ storage bags (3.8 litre) or flat plastic bags are the easiest to defrost. The ‘green’ can be fed on Day 1 The ‘red’ colostrum can be saved in the fridge for feeding on Days 2 to 5. Fridge or freezer? Store in the fridge at 0-4°C for a week or in the freezer at -20°C for up to a year. Label the sample with Ig level and date. Thawing - be careful - antibodies are destroyed by over-heating (cooking). Thaw slowly in a warm water bath at maximum of 60°C. Use a floating dairy thermometer to regulate temperature of the water bath Colostrum Corner The effect of poor colostrum management has such a huge impact on farm profitability that it warrants a separate corner in the dairy kitted out with all the tools for the job i.e. sink, fridge, freezer, funnel, bags, thermometer, Colostrometer and water bath. There is now a commercial system developed in Denmark, marketed by Holm & Laue through Wynnstay. The Coloquick system will help with testing, harvesting and thawing within 15 minutes of birth. The Coloquick water bath is also available as a colostrum pasteuriser. Following the suggested colostrum harvesting and storage plan makes life easier for the calf rearer and gives every calf the chance of a flying start. The system is widely used in Denmark and increasingly in the UK. For those who are trying to manage Colostrum on a tight budget, the Wynngold Colostrum management Kit is a good place to start. 1 2 The COLOQUICK System 3 5 4 6 WHEN A COW CALVES 1. Milk the cow and check for antibodies with a Colostrometer. ‘Green ‘ is the best quality 2. Place the bag in the cartridge 3. Good quality colostrum can be poured into the Coloquick bag, poor quality can go in the fridge or freezer for feeding on days 2,3,and 4 4. Place cartridge in the freezer WHEN A CALF IS BORN 5. Take cartridge out of the freezer 6. Put in the Coloquick machine to thaw 7. Colostrum is defrosted and warmed in 15-20mins 8. Cartridge can be attached to an oesophageal feeder 9. Or the calf can be fed by teat 10. No problem with the calf drinking 4 litres if its good quality AND the right temperature 7 8 A pasteuriser model is also available. 9 10 Gill Dickson National Calf Specialist M: 07971 296702 gill.dickson@wynnstay.co.uk Wynnstay Group Plc <strong>Dairy</strong> Newsletter Spring 2013 7
Page 1 and 2: Dairy N e w s l e t t e r Spring 20
Page 3 and 4: A Clear view of where we are headin
Page 5: Taking the stress out of rearing Li
Page 9 and 10: KETOSIS A recent study by DHHPS sho
Page 11 and 12: AN OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE YOUR GRAS
Page 13 and 14: FERTILISER UPDATE Sulphur Due to th
Page 15 and 16: Thompson 1997 and Bergsrud 1990, Zi
Page 17 and 18: WHICH BUILDINGS ARE BEST? We think
Page 19 and 20: TEstimonial: Commercial Unit- 38kW

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