Colostrum in calf management May seem of little importance, but it packs a big punch in helping keep calves healthy. Colostrum is the first milk that is given by the cow, after giving birth. Colostrum from one cow is specifically designed to deliver much-needed nutrients to its newborn calf. Since calves are born hypoglobulinemic and have an immature immune system, colostrum helps develop their immune system. There are many steps that need to be taken in order to ensure that each calf is getting the full potential benefit from colostrum. But trust me, these steps could mean the world for your calves. Now, what makes colostrum so important? Colostrum contains fourteen percent protein, vitamins A, D, and E, selenium, zinc, hormone and growth …show more content…
The age of the cow can play many roles in the quality. The amount of colostrum and the number of antibodies present are lower in first and second time calving cows than in older cows. Older cows have larger udders, more equipped milk secretion capabilities, and a more efficient antibody transport mechanism. Heat stress or stress in general during the dry period (period of time after each lactation) can also be a factor in determining health benefits in colostrum. If an animal is stressed they tend to lack the needed nutrition and, therefore, their first milk may also lack these nutrients. Milk leaking from the udder or time delay in collection of milk may also result in poor quality colostrum. The colostrum will get diluted with regular milk if it is not collected or if leaking occurs. The last main thing that will affect the quality is storage. Colostrum should be collected in a clean container and then either fed immediately to the calf, stored in the refrigerator for less than seven days, or froze for less than a year. When preparing colostrum out of the freezer or refrigerator, it should be heated at a slow rate to prevent denaturing. Colostrum should also not be pooled or mixed colostrum from other cows. Mixing of colostrum puts calves at a higher risk for contracting Johne’s disease (wasting disease). The nutritional benefit that could possibly be passed on to the
Article: A glass of milk contains some alarming ingredients including hormones, pus and antibiotics. Even if your milk is raw, unpasteurized and organic, with less contamination and processing than regular store-bought milk, it still contains hormones — whether synthetic or natural — intended to boost a calves’ growth. And that can wreak havoc on your body.
Matos, Ribeiro and Guerra write about the benefits of breastfeeding and breast milk and how the antioxidants within the milk help strengthen a babies immune system. They provide a lot of scientific research and information on the different types of antioxidants, vitamins and other nutrients that are within breast milk.
Dairy cows produce more milk than what a calf needs in a day. The calves are gently separated, with no harm done to the cow or calf. The article also states that the FFA promotes cows being constantly artificially inseminated on “rape racks” to keep milk production flowing. The FFA does promote the dairy industry, but nothing called a “rape rack” exists. They are called head locks or a cattle chute and they keep the cows in place for the breeder. They don’t harm the cow at all. Also, cows are bred at certain times, and they do get breaks from being milked, these are called dry
Abd El-Shaffy and G. A. Abd El-Rahman. El-Nor, Khalif and El-Shaffy are from the Dairy Science Department, National Research Centre, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt. Khattab and El-Sayed are from the Animal Production Department Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, Shoubra Al-Kheimah, Cairo, Egypt. The last author El-Rahman is from the Animal Production Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University. All that was just listed was the source of authority that these authors have in their country. These authors or professors are well-prepared to write about this topic because they talk about the whole experiment. They inform the reader about what was done in the experiment and what came out of the experiment. This article came from Revista Veterinaria. The intended readers are possibly Buffalo breeders to see what is the best way to feed the calf and what milk is the most nutritious. Also people that are interested in this topic can read this article as well. There
Calves, like most young, begin their lives with help from their mothers. According to Heather Smith Thomas, a correspondent for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup, “Newborn calves gain temporary, or passive, immunity from disease when they ingest colostrum from
Vaccinations – Vaccinations occur throughout all stages of life for a beef cow. Shortly after a calf is born, the calf is separated from its mother and restrained in order to receive vaccinations that prevent sickness and disease in the early stages of life. Following the shots, the calf rejoins its mother. Shots continue to occur as needed throughout the animal’s life.
Growth hormones (GH) are also commonly used today in CAFOs. Cows normally give birth and lactate for about 9 months before milk secretion stops. GH elongate this cycle time and cause reproductive problems in the cows (Forbes, 68). GH increase milk production by 15%, cause animals to grow to maturity
The milk also benefited cows, as the protein prevents mastitis.
The cows receive awful diets that strain the cows’ bodies. Cows receive grain diets. The grain diets make them feel awful. The grain diets may make them ill, cause pain, and kill them. The calves used for veal receive bare minimum for food. Farmers give cows milk replaces which leads to their bodies wearing out quicker (Capps). Farmers give the cows unnatural diets which causes them to disorders like ketosis and laminitis. Due to the poor diets, cows suffer from Milk Fever, calcium deficiency. Many farmers give cows Bovine Growth Hormone so female cows produce bigger loads of milk. Bovine Growth Hormone causes calf birth defects. It also causes pain for the cows. The calves receive poor nutrients. Most butchers kill calves within 16-20 weeks of their birth and the farmers mistreat cows before their death (Capps). The diets consist of little fiber. Due to little fiber, cows have a lot of stomach pain and inflammation. Many cows receive diets consisting of corn because
An infant who is breastfed receives added health benefits compared to a child who is formula fed. In the first few days after birth, the breast milk is comprised of protein, vitamins A and E, and antibodies which help protect the infant from infection. After the first few days, the mature breast milk contains fats and cholesterol, which are essential for the growth and development of the infant’s nervous system, eyes, and brain. It also contains micronutrients calcium and magnesium, which are beneficial to the infant’s growth (Thompson et al., 2010).
“We can, however, control the environment in which the calf is born and raised early in life. The newborn calf needs a dry, clean place if we expect it to survive free of scours” (Stoltenow, Charles, and Vincent, Lani). The less pathogens the calves are exposed to in the beginning of their life the less chance of them catching a disease. Therefore, having gradual exposure allows the calf’s body to adapt to its environment without shocking its system and causing it to be overloaded. This way cows can become incorporated into the main herd of milking cows at an appropriate age for being bred to start the milk cycle.
The calf's rumen digests feed using fermentation; a process that calls for a development of bacteria in the rumen. This process takes three weeks after the calf weans, after which the amount of bacteria available in the rumen becomes able to ferment enough energy-giving feeds that the calf requires. Giving a calf quality grains and free-choice water helps its rumen to develop in a better way.
When a woman is at the end of her pregnancy a woman begins to produce colostrum. Colostrum is the first stage of milk a women produces and is typically a light shade of yellow. This type of milk is important in the sense the milk is substantially rich, it contains loads
A lot of these problems seen in formula feed babies are due to the fact that the particular composition of the formula doesn’t suit their digestive system. Breast milk consists of the optimum proportions of fats, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals and water. It is extremely digestible for a new-born baby because the milk is naturally refined to perfectly suit the baby’s digestive system. The milk also contains growth factors such as, epidermal growth factor (EGR) and insulin-like growth factor. The epidermal growth factor works by helping to prepare the lining of the gut to absorb the nutrients from the milk consumed. Insulin-like growth factor is believed to be one of the primary factors regulating early growth and development. Breast milk also contains essential fatty acids that are not present in most formula milk products. The two essential fatty acids present in breast milk are docosahexaenoic acid and arachidonis acid. Both of these play a vital role in optimal development of the central nervous system, intellectual and visual development in babies. Furthermore, one of the most prominent advantages associated with breast feeding over formula feeding babies is that, breast milk naturally changes composition to correspond to the stage of development of the infant. For example, colostrum is the name given to the first milk produced post-delivery. It has an abundance of white cells and antibodies, it also contains a
Breast milk has higher nutrient density in the most natural way, it gives the infant a boost in immune system directly from its mother. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics it briefly summarized the findings and stated that is with strong recommendation it is optimal for baby and mother. The Infant Nutrition Council went further on to state the breastmilk provided for mother is superior to any other source of nutrition for babies. Olivia Ballard explained that the composition of human milk is the perfect “lock-and-key” for infant nutrition. Breastmilk according to the SMA Nutrition video shows how protein in the breastmilk is the most important to a baby’s growth. Overall, breast milk is superior to the popular infant formula when