How important are the Q’s of colostrum?

We recently ran a calf colostrum project in Lancashire. The main aim of the project was to highlight how important the Q’s of colostrum really are for the neonatal calf.

Overview of the Project:

• 5 Farms
• 1 month project
• Measuring colostrum quality, quantity, and how quickly it was fed to our calves.
• Quantifying how good colostrum transfer was through regular blood sampling.
• Measuring the cleanliness of colostrum equipment.
• Measuring the cleanliness of colostrum through bacteriology testing.

5 Trial farms were selected all of which had slightly differing colostrum feeding protocols. The trial took place over a one-month period and ended with a group discussion to look at results and gather interesting ideas and thoughts.

What data did we gather?…

• Quality – all farms measured the quality of colostrum given individuals using a refractometer and recorded the value on their data capture form.
• Quickly – the timing in which the colostrum was measured and fed by the rearer ticking the appropriate box for each individual feed from time of birth. We split possibilities into the following options <2hrs, 2-6hrs, >6hrs.
• Quantity – this data was captured on the form if the calf received more or less then 4L otherwise it was agreed that all individuals would be given 4L.
• sQueaky Clean – using the 3M machine different measurements were collated on individual farms to assess how clean different pinch points for colostrum harvesting and feeding were. Points included stomach tubes, dump buckets and teats. We were also able to send off one sample of colostrum at point of feeding for a bacterial count.
• Quantify – Bloods were taken from all individuals in the trial and these were tested in house to highlight how effective the transfer of antibodies in each individual was.

After a month of the trial taking place, Becca collated all in the information and invited all the trial farms to a discussion to highlight key findings and share ideas about each other’s protocols and processes. Below are a couple of key take-home messages for some of the trial farms

The Growth report from Farm 5 proves the positive effect of focusing on colostrum and feeding it quickly on the growth of calves. The arrow indicates when the project started and the rearing team focused on keeping to their colostrum policy. From the graph we can see the average start and continue to rise.
If you would like more information on the project or would like an investigation into your own colostrum policy feel free to chat to your vet or vet tech.

Table: Growth check weights