Food Dehydrator Moisture Testing
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COLOSTRUM MANAGEMENT Karen L. Jacobsen, BS, DVM, MS Farm Animal Resources & Management (F.A.R.M.), LLC 1120 Cherokee Circle, Athens, GA 30606 706-354-4799 (office), 706-354-4680 (fax), 706-340-0999 (mobile) Colostrum management has a larger impact on calf health than any other management factor. Heifer calves leaving the dairy to be raised by a custom calf raiser should receive the same attention at birth as the heifers to be grown at home. Amount & timing of colostrum feeding: Many dairymen mistakenly believe that the calf should be left on the cow for 12-24 hours. Instead, the calf should be removed from the dam at birth and hand-fed colostrum within the first 4 hours. Many cows have udders that are too saggy and low-down for the calf to be able to nurse. Other cows may leak colostrum prior to calving, resulting in lesser quality (or no) colostrum available to the calf. Also, first and second calf heifers have lower quality colostrum than older cows. If left to nurse on their own, up to 2/3 of calves will not have adequate colostrum antibodies in their blood when tested. The newborn calf is born with almost no antibodies in the blood. Immediately after birth, the calf's intestine is able to absorb antibodies well. As soon as anything goes into the digestive tract (mucous, manure, dirt, straw, colostrum, etc.), the cells lining the calf's intestine start to change from rectangular to square cells. The square cells are unable to absorb the antibodies . This decrease in absorptive capacity occurs rapidly. By 9 hours after stimulation, only about 50% of the available antibody is absorbed. By 12 hours, only 30% is absorbed.
The "4-4-4 RULE": Milk the cow within the first 4 hours after calving. Feed 4 quarts of "green" colostrum within the first 4 hours after birth. (In very small calves & Jerseys, it may be possible to get only 3 quarts in the calf). A second feeding of "green" colostrum should occur at 6-12 hours after birth. If possible, colostrum feeding should continue on days 2 and 3 of the calf’s life (using transition milk). Colostrum of lesser quality (yellow or red colostrometer reading) can be used for these days. Each person administering colostrum needs to be taught the importance of colostrum and how to tube feed a calf that doesn't suckle with an esophageal feeder. Esophageal feeders with steel ball ends are preferred. Plastic or nylon ball ends can become sharp from the calf's teeth and cause damage to the calf's throat and esopagus. Measuring Colostrum Quality via Colostrometer: Because bovine colostrum has about 100 times the antibody content of milk, the quality and quantity of colostrum given are critical. The color and appearance of colostrum indicate only the amount of fat present, and are NOT indicative of the amount of antibodies present. Even an experienced dairyman cannot judge colostrum quality by simply "eyeing" it. The ColostrometerR is a handy commercial device which can be purchased online (about ) at www.colostrometer.com. This device measures the specific gravity of milk, which equates to the antibody level. It should be used on colostrum either fresh from the cow or at room temperature. Refrigeration thickens the colostrum, and readings will be falsely positive. The goal is to feed only "green" colostrum. Colostrum quality varies with age of dam (first and second calf heifers have lower quality) & other factors. Colostrometer Readings: Red = inadequate Yellow = borderline Green = adequate
Storage and handling of colostrum: Colostrum collection: The cow’s udder should be clean and dry at colostrum collection to minimize contamination with disease-causing bacteria. Colostrum & milk are wonderful culture media for bacterial growth. Refrigerating colostrum is not recommended due to the potential for bacterial growth. Often Salmonella outbreaks have been traced to poorly stored colostrum. Freezing is a better option. By using a colostrometer, the best colostrum can be saved and frozen in either nipple bottles or zip-type plastic bags for later use. Double bagging is helpful to prevent leakage if one bag breaks. Frozen colostrum can be thawed in lukewarm (not hot) water. Microwaving is not recommended because it is very easy to denature the antibodies. If control programs for Mycoplasma, bovine leukemia virus, or Johnes are being implemented, then colostrum may be pasteurized using low-temperature long time (batch) pasteurizers. This reduces antibody content by up to 40%. It may be simpler to feed colostrum from cows that are tested negative for the above diseases. TESTING FOR PASSIVE TRANSFER (ADEQUATE COLOSTRUM) There are 4 reasons for failure of passive transfer in calves: 1 - Calf didn’t get any colostrum 2 - Calf didn’t get enough colostrum 4 - Calf didn’t absorb the colostrum 3 - Colostral quality was poor (leaking, first-calf heifers, etc.) Blood samples can be collected for antibody testing in calves from 2 to 8 days old. On-farm estimations of antibody content can be made by measuring total serum protein by refractometer. Without colostrum absorption, the calf’s total serum protein level will be approximately 4.5 mg/dl. Total serum protein by refractometer: Grade: < 4.5 = no colostrum F 4.5-4.9 = inadequate D 5.0-5.2 = poor C 5.3-5.4 = borderline B 5.5-7.0 = acceptable A > 7.0 = dehydration likely  |
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Note that antibody absorption is reduced by 50% by 9 hours after birth. |
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Colostrum Absorption by the Newborn Calf Dr. Karen Jacobsen jacobsen@athens.net |
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