Ultimate Guide to Colostrum for Calves

As the first milk produced after a newborn calf arrives, colostrum is chock full of nutrients, natural colostral fat and immunoglobulins/globulin protein. And it plays an incredibly important role in giving calves their best start. However, the quantity and/or quality of colostrum available may vary in each herd based on the possibility of disease transmission as well as management’s ability to accurately collect and store a herd’s colostrum.

Colostrum replacements and colostrum supplements can solve this problem for you and your calves. Knowing the difference – and the right one for your situation – is key, so let’s dig into the distinctions to help you find the best product available.

What Makes Colostrum So Critical?

Colostrum contains more than 90 compounds like immunoglobulins (IgG), which help newborn calves achieve passive transfer or immunity. The transfer of IgG in colostrum from their dam gives calves antibodies to ward off scours, respiratory illnesses and infections for up to five weeks of life. To take full effect, the calf must receive the colostrum within hours after they’re born because the newborn calf’s gut decreases in permeability 24 hours after birth, and IgGs also decrease. Colostrum also provides nutrients to the calves and stimulates their growth of bone, muscle, cartilage and more.

Check Colostrum Quality with a Colostrometer

Without testing the quality of your maternal colostrum, you won’t know if you need a supplement or a replacer. Be prepared with a colostrometer to measure your supply. The colostrometer works by measuring the thickness of a sample because it correlates to IgG content. The thermometer-like instrument will “float” in a green, yellow, or red zone to indicate quality level (with green being the highest). Just be careful to only use the instrument with room temperature samples. Colder samples will thicken and create higher, inaccurate results.Now that you’re up to speed on the difference between replacers and supplements, we want to recommend a few of our top-selling colostrum brands. These customer favorites offer a wide range of options, and you will find all of them and more on our Colostrum Products Comparison Chart. You’ll notice the different IgG levels in each, along with product size, mixing instructions, etc. to help find the best product for your herd.

High-performance colostrum from NurseMate is manufactured in the U.S.A. and contains key bioactives to enhance a calf’s immune system. The NurseMate 100 Colostrum Replacer with Immu-PRIME for Calves works to improve colostrum absorption while activating the newborn’s cells for protection from disease. This natural bovine dried colostrum comes in a single-dose, easy-mix pack.No, a milk replacer does not contain colostrum. It follows the colostrum or colostrum replacer the calf receives at birth for feedings up to about 12 weeks of age (depending on their weight and solid food intake). Milk replacers have similar nutritional qualities to their mother's milk -- including crude protein, fat and fiber – but are used when the mother's milk is not available. During the winter or stretches of cold weather, calves need a milk replacer with 20% fat to help them stay warm.

Milk replacers are generally bought in bulk through a local feed store. However, we do carry the following multi-species milk replacer. 

• Ultra 24 Multi Species Milk Replacer can be used as a dry powder supplement for dairy and beef calves, as well as foals, piglets, lambs and other livestock. It’s a preferred product of hobby farms and 4-H kids

Is your colostrum supply enough to support your calves on their own? Whether you need a supplement or a complete replacer, PBS Animal Health has you covered with high-quality colostrum products. Don't forget to check out our Colostrum Products Comparison Chart for side-by-side review of everything we carry. Happy Calving!