Calf rearing is all about quality colostrum, hygiene and minimising stress. Colustrum needs no introduction from us, but you can find our quick guide to the 3 Q's of Colostrum below.
Hygiene is important across all aspect of the season - from birthing to the shed, bedding and feed. Stress can be reduced by providing a warm, dry environment that is not overcrowded (1.5m2 at least per calf in a pen) and ensuring food and water requirements are met. Enrichment toys, brushes scracth mats can also reduce stress.
There are many good calf rearing and colostrum guides available. You can find our Colustrum Guide below, and more helpful links at the end of this article.
Download Full GuideOur calf colostrum delivery products offer a convenient and reliable method for administering vital colostrum to newborn calves, ensuring they receive the necessary nutrients and antibodies.
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View ProductCows do not transfer antibodies across the placenta like other mammals. Immunity for calves comes from colostrum and is absorbed across the gut. The gut starts closing once the calf is born, hence the first 24 hours are crucial. A newborn calf can absorb large IgG (antibody) molecules, BUT from birth that calf gut starts to close and at 12 hours old it is unable to absorb large IgG molecules and at 24 hours the gut is closed.
FPT (Failure of Passive transfer) occurs when a calf does not get enough quality colostrum and therefore transfer of antibodies. If you are not sure, calves can be tested at 7 days old via a blood test.
If a calf does not feed from its mother, it ideally gets quality colostrum within 1-3 hours for antibody transfer, to avoid FPT. Why? When a calf does not get enough antibodies, it can get sick, potentially die, and not grow or produce as well. It will also take up a lot of resource at an already busy time.
It is recommended that you test cows individually for colostrum quality (brix), using 'test buckets'. You can then separate out Gold (A+/22%+) colostrum and store in the fridge or freezer for future use.
To ensure maximum antibody protection is given to new-born calves, 2-to-4 litres of good quality colostrum should be fed in the first 12 hours of life. Colostrum quality can vary significantly between cows. A BRIX-scale refractometer (link = 215025) enables you accurately and quickly assess colostrum quality. A refractometer is easy to use - After checking calibration of the instrument with distilled water, two drops of the colostrum to be tested are placed on the glass prism. The instrument is then aimed towards the light and the colostrum level is read off the internal scale. Readings above 22% indicate high-quality colostrum gold.
Don't have 22%+ colostrum? Just use the best you have - for every 1% increase in the Brix%, the odds of FPT Decreased by 33% (Epivets)
Brix can also be used to indicate:
Hygiene is also very important as bacteria affects the absorption. Bacteria bind to the antibody molecule and are too big to absorb across the gut. They can also sit in the pores of the gut and block absorption.
Contamination can come from multiple sources, so we recommend:
Colostrum Storage and Handling
Recent recommendations from Dairy NZ
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