'First milk for every mammal contains vital antibodies to protect their young from diseases and infection and bugs in the first days of life — it's essential'
Newborn animals need 10 per cent of body weight of gold colostrum within the first two hours of birth, followed by 10 per cent more in the next 12 hours.
This is usually around two litres for a newborn calf and 100ml for a lamb.
Ideally the animals suckle this milk from mum or from a bottle, but this colostrum can also be tube fed if necessary.
This timing is important because the newborn animal will be able to absorb less of the antibodies as time goes on due to the closing of the 'pores' of the stomach.
Things to think about when sourcing colostrum or milk: Many diseases can be spread in the milk including Johnes Disease and Mycoplasma Bovis.
If the health status of the source farm or dam is unknown, pasteurisation is a great way to ensure that the milk is free from these diseases.
Pasteurising is easy and can be done by either heating the milk on a stove or by using commercial machines.
As an alternative colostrum powder can be purchased from the clinic so that your animals can get the best start in life.
If you have any questions feel free to pop into the clinic at Levin and Horowhenua Vets or call us on 06 368-2891.
