Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Confusion over Colostrum Supplements and Colostrum Replacer

I made a presentation at the Central Ontario Agricultural Conference on March 4. The audience was not shy - they asked plenty of questions. 

Several of the questions related to colostrum supplements and replacers. More than one person in the audience tried to use the terms to mean the same thing. 

So, I went through the definitions:

Supplements provide just that, they only add antibodies.

Replacers provide the full range of colostrum content (antibodies, protein, fat, carbs, etc) possible in a processed product.

Besides, I added, replacers typically cost four to five times as much as supplements. 

Click HERE for a background page on supplements.

Click HERE for the one-page Colostrum Replacer Guidelines.

The experiences with these products among those in the audience included using a supplement when feeding colostrum from a heifer, using supplements during weather-stress times (i.e., winter). I told them how easy it is to check antibody concentration in colostrum using a Brix refractometer. Click HERE for resource on doing this.

We also talked about using a replacer when the colostrum supply was tight, and using replacer when the dam was suspected of a disease that could be transmitted through colostrum.

As I always do during a presentation, I urged the dairymen (and women) present to work with their herd veterinarian to collect "as-fed" colostrum samples for bacteria culturing. Click HERE for a protocol for collecting colostrum samples. 

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Fly Control in March?

That is the title of the March calf management newsletter. The key points are:
·        How effective was our fly control last year?
·        Using an integrated pest management (IPM) approach, what will be the most effective methods this fly season?
·        Selecting fly control methods
·        Scheduling fly control activities

Included are links to pest management resources including Cornell University's IPM program and organic pest control recommendations.