Calves are born susceptible to disease. They have to receive colostrum from their dams in order to have early protection from pathogens. Colostrum is the first milk that the cow produces at calving.

Dear Daktari, I read with a lot of keenness the article you wrote on welcoming a young calf. Last year, I lost my calf a few days after birth and my vet said the cause of death was a lack of enough ...

Dr. A.J. Tarpoff, Extension beef veterinarian at Kansas State University, spoke recently at a virtual American Angus Association webinar that covered multiple aspects of calf health. He said the first ...

The largest number of calf deaths is within three weeks after birth, says Shelby Roberts, beef postdoctoral research fellow for Alltech. “The immune system is so raw when calves are born. They must ...

In a pair of recent studies, researchers examined risk factors that contribute to insufficient antibody transfer to newborn beef calves, as well as the subsequent negative health effects. They found ...

Colostrum -the cow’s first milk- is the key to a good start for the newborn calf. It supplies energy for combating the early spring chill that assaults the new calf. Colostrum also provides the only ...

In cattle, there is no transfer of antibodies across the placenta in the pregnant dam; the fetus does not obtain any circulating antibodies from the dam’s blood. A human baby has the advantage of ...

Bovine colostrum represents the first secreted milk post-parturition and is rich in immunoglobulins, growth factors and essential bioactive compounds that are critical for the establishment of passive ...

Colostrum is the most important feed in a calf's life. Therefore, try to ensure that calves get the first feed of colostrum quickly and that they get enough. The guideline is that colostrum intake ...

Calves should get the colostrum from their own mother if possible but stored first milking colostrum can be used as well, especially when dealing with nervous cows or heifers. Frozen colostrum can ...