Colostrum is the precursor to milk in a lactating cow, and is the first thing she excretes after giving birth. It is rich in protein, fats and carbohydrates as well as vital maternal antibodies. These are the antibodies mum has developed throughout her life that are transferred into colostrum for the calf to ingest. These are vital in the first few weeks of life for a calf, as they are the only immune system they have until they are able to develop their own antibodies.
Colostrum is a large molecule and can only be absorbed through the gut lining of calves in the first 24 hours of life. The first 6 hours are the most important, as after this the capacity for absorption reduces significantly each hour.
There is no benefit in feeding colostrum after 24 hours as it is expensive and milk is adequate at this point. If a calf is born and the mother has died, colostrum supplementation is vital. This can be done by milking the cow, milking another cow that has a fresh calf (this is not ideal because colostrum will transition to milk after the first initial feeds) or purchasing frozen colostrum from a good feed store.
If you have any questions about your calf please give our helpful team a call on 07 4982 2552 or visit our common conditions page on our website for more information.