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Colostrum, nutrition important to calf health

Research continues to show the importance of getting colostrum into newborn calves.

Dr. Michael Ballou from Texas Tech University says proper calf nutrition can prevent many health issues.  “If you don’t get the colostrum in them, it almost doesn’t matter what you do.  You’re going to be fighting an uphill battle, so you need to do the correcting straight, but there’s also some other things we can do to help mature that gastrointestinal tract and also set that calf up to where she’ll respond better to vaccinations and maybe that replacement heifer won’t get respiratory disease later in life.”

And whether milk or milk replacer is used, Ballou says the level of milk solids fed to that calf is important.  “Feeding more milk solids in a way where we’re not increasing the risk of disease is ultimately going to be better for them later in life.  We’re seeing a lot better health of calves that were fed higher levels of milk solids after they’re weened.”

Ballou says there are a number of supplements available to help meet the calf’s nutritional needs, but consistency in mixing and feeding is very important.

Dr. Ballou was a speaker at the Dairy Calf & Heifer Association conference in Madison, Wisconsin.