Colostrum is vital to give the lamb a
good immune system. It is best absorbed
in the first 24 hours of the lambs
life. After that it is just digested. If the
lamb does not get this it will not have
any immediate source of antibodies to
fight infection, and scours or other problems.
The best source of colostrum is of course
ewe's milk direct from mum but that is not always
possible. Colostrum milked from another
freshly lambed ewe is the next best option. If
that is also not possible then fresh cow colostrum
from a cow just calved will do. If that fails
then colostrum substitutes are available but
are expensive and not as effective.
Lambs should get at least one day (500ml) of
colostrum fed in 6 to 8 feeds before milk replacer
is started but any you can get into the
lamb (even as little as 30ml) will help.
Colostrum replacer is available (jumpstart) which can be used if no fresh is available and it is suggested to give a lamb colostrum for the 1st 4 days as this is what it would naturally have with its mother.
It also suggests weight of lamb-amount of colostrum ratio . (look up jumpstart on Google)
It can become sick and die - colostrum is important as it has immunoglobulins in it which helps protect the lamb from various diseases until it is old enough to be vaccinated.
NOTHING can or should replace Colostrum when feeding a newborn calf. You MUST feed a new baby calf colostrum within 24 hours after it is born. There is nothing man-made or similar than can replace colostrum.
It is normal to get colostrum at any point during pregnancy. Your body is getting ready to feed the baby. All of this is normal for your body.
It is the most important thing to feed to a newborn calf because it contains lots of antibodies and immunoglobins that ensure a calf's health and survival.
About 6 months
It can become sick and die - colostrum is important as it has immunoglobulins in it which helps protect the lamb from various diseases until it is old enough to be vaccinated.
It requires 1,273 pounds of feed to produce a lamb
NOTHING can or should replace Colostrum when feeding a newborn calf. You MUST feed a new baby calf colostrum within 24 hours after it is born. There is nothing man-made or similar than can replace colostrum.
It is normal to get colostrum at any point during pregnancy. Your body is getting ready to feed the baby. All of this is normal for your body.
No reason not to.
It may die, lambs need colostrum to help provide immunity against common diseases that sheep can die from.
It is the most important thing to feed to a newborn calf because it contains lots of antibodies and immunoglobins that ensure a calf's health and survival.
A calf should get colostrum within an hour or so after birth. Colostrum in the cow will be produced for the next 24 to 48 hours after the calf is born, but at eat time frame, the quality of the colostrum decreases, which means that if the calf receives its colostrum after 24 hours or more, its ability to survive, and grow into a healthy animal will be diminished. It's CRUCIAL that the calf gets his colostrum within a couple hours after birth, if he is not up and suckling (or has not been up and suckling) by the time you next check on mom and calf.
You can buy sheep or goat colostrum or replacer at an Orchlens or trackor suply and mix it as direceted and feed with eye dropper or newborn cat bottle.
About 6 months
If a newborn foal is unable to feed from it's mother you need to call the vet immediately and see if there is a colostrum bank available in your area. If not there are some colostrum supplements available that you can buy. Many people feed formula from a bucket, but some foals won't drink from and and will need to be bottle fed. You could also ask the vet if there is a mare nearby that might have lost her foal and would be available to use as a nurse mare.
The colostrum of cattle is the first milk from a cow to her calf used to not only feed the calf but provide the calf with a start up of the calf's' immune system. It is milk that is comprised of immunoglobins and antibodies which help boost the calf's immune system by feed it antibodies that the cow has generated or received from vaccinations prior to giving birth.