Calf Colostrum Management Flashcards
do calves have other opportunities besides ingesting colostrum to gain any immunity early in life?
not really! the bovine placenta does not allow for any transfer of protective antibodies
what is the best vaccine a calf can get?
colostrum! lol
what is colostrum made up of mostly?
antibiodies (imuunoglobulin G), immune cells, fat, vitamins, minerals, antimicrobial peptides
the transfer of passive immunity depends on what 3 things?
how much colostrum is available: immunization of the cow and nutrition of the cow
how much the calf actually got
How much the calf actually absorbed
when does a cow start making colostrum?
how long after getting a vaccine does it take to generate antibodies?
so when do we want to vaccinate cows to get antibodies into colostrum?
3 weeks before calving
takes 2 weeks to make antibodies
5-6 weeks before calving
what 4 things are included in a scours vaccination
coronavirus, rotavirus, E coli, C. perfringens
is giving a scours vaccine to a late pregnant cow a guarantee for healthy calves?
no! a vaccine is only as good as the colostrum management! the entire purpose of vaccinating the cow is to protect the calf, not the cow (except mastitis)
what are the 3 determinants of how much colostrum a calf actually gets (colostrum volume)?
the IgG concentration–>how many antibodies are in there?
how old is the calf?
how efficient is absorption?
what are the 5 Qs of colostrum?
quality, quickness, quantity, sQueaky clean, Quantify
how does beef and dairy colostrum differ in regards to yield and average IgG concentrations
dairy cows produce more, but have lower IgG concentrations
beef cows produce less, but have higher IgG concentrations
for determining IgG concentration, what tests can be done?
Reference test=radial immunodiffusion (RID) but this test is very $$$ and takes a long time
brix refractometer: a few hundred dollars and useful on farm
colostrometer: get a measure of specific gravity, has to be at room temp
for DAIRY, what do we want our IgG colostrum numbers to be?
we want at least 50g/L of IgG
brix refractometer: 23%
colostrometer: 80mg/ml
for BEEF, what do we want our IgG colosotrum numbers to be?
we want between 100 and 150 g/L
Brix between 24 and 30%
commercial colostrum products should have _____ of IgG per package
> 100g
why is age of the calf important for colostrum management?
the gut only absorbs colostrum for the first 24 hours and drastically reduces after 4-6 hours
quality of colostrum can also decrease with time to suckle/collection
what are some factors that affect how efficiently the calf is able to absorb colostrum?
timting
contamination (manure)
dystocia or prolonged calving
cold stress (poor blood flow)
route of administration
body weight
how much colostrum does the typical calf absorb?
20-30% of what theyre fed
in dairy calves, colostrum should be fed ______
as soon as possible after birth