Dairy calves are born with little to no immune protection, thus they need high-quality colostrum for passive immunity transmission. Passive immunity transfer occurs when a calf absorbs IgGs from colostrum; generally, 4 liters of high-quality colostrum (Brix% > 22) is given during the first four hours after birth. There are four types of passive transmission of immunity: outstanding, good, fair, and poor. A recent research in the Journal of Dairy Science compared calf health indicators and average daily gain (ADG) to these classifications.
The trial included roughly 3400 calves from a single farm that were given 4 liters of high-quality colostrum via an esophageal tube feeder within 30 minutes of delivery. The calves were then kept in solitary pens for the first few days of life before being transferred to group enclosures of ten animals at three weeks old. The findings revealed that 4.8% had poor passive transfer of immunity, 29.5% had fair, 28.3% had good, and 37.4% had exceptional.
The research also discovered that variables such as the dam’s lactation number, the individual employee giving the colostrum, and the ease of calving all had an impact on passive immunity transmission. Calves born to moms in their third or later lactation exhibited less passive transmission of immunity. Cows having dystocia and requiring help during birth had calves with reduced passive immunity transfer.
Good management techniques are critical for dairy cattle because unique personnel might influence passive transmission of immunity. Employee training and frequent procedural checks are crucial. Dystocia may be avoided by mating cows to bulls with a high calving ease score and ensuring heifers have the appropriate size and maturity when they calve. Animals should calve at a body condition score of 3.5 to ensure they have enough weight to drop before entering a negative energy balance and producing milk.
Colostrum is only considered high-quality if it is free of excessive germs. Colostrum should be collected in a sanitary container and supplied from a properly sterilized bottle. If not given quickly, the bacteria concentration of the colostrum will increase every 20 minutes, endangering the calf’s health. To establish a productive cow, a professionally educated person should give high-quality colostrum within a few hours after delivery.
