Shane's Tack Colostrum Replacments for Baby Calves
Colostrum must be given within the first 24 hours of life either from the mother (which is ideal but not always reality) or from a colostrum replacer. The mothers first milk is filled with colostrum. Colostrum is what helps protect the young animal until its own antibodies kick in. Without Colostrum the calf if already at a disadvantage as it is open to many different diseases with no way to fight it off.
Colostrum is measured in IgG’s. There is generally anywhere from 30 to 50 IgG’s in colostrum supplements.
A colostrum supplement is made to supplement the mother’s milk. A calf that is already getting colostrum from their mother but needs a little boost, is a good candidate to give a colostrum supplement. For this a 30 – 50 IgG product is fine. We list these below:
The more IgG’s in the product the more antibody protection. To completely replace colostrum you must have 100-150 IgG’s. Until recently all that was available through a distributor was the supplements. If you needed the colostrum replacer, it had to be bought from a breeder or direct. Now we stock colostrum replacements.
The two products that we currently stock are:
The main difference between these 2 replacers is their levels of IgG’s. The Ultra start has 150 IgG’s and many vitamins and amino acids. The Rite start has 100 IgG’s but contains only Dried milk and Dextrose and is a little cheaper. You may just want the IgG’s no added vitamins, bovine source product and a little less expensive. Rite start complete is the perfect choice here. Many times you may be willing to pay the extra few dollars for 50 more IgG’s and the extra fats, vitamins and amino acids. Ultra Start 150 is a great choice for you then.
The colostrum replacers are a great value for the farmer. Rather than having a calf that grows up to be sickly or small, now a farmer can
visit ShanesTack.com and purchase a complete replacer.
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