Calves with Sam

Second Milking - A Colostrum Resource?

Colostrum in short supply? Try collecting and testing second milking from fresh cows.

In a study involving second lactation and greater Jersey cows the investigators collected both first and second milking (N=68 cows).

This is what they found from the second milkings:

                                                                  Average(Mean)   Minimum    Maximum

Amount of colostrum collected (lbs.)            9.5                       0.9               25.3

Brix value (percent)                                     18.7                     13.4               29.3

Antibodies (IgG) in lab test                         46.9                       6.2              100

Nearly one-half of the second milkings (43 percent) had the industry standard of 50g/l minimum for colostrum acceptable for first-feeding newborn calves. 

TEST, DON'T GUESS.  That's the message - your second milking from cows may be a "hidden" colostrum resource on the dairy. 

Reference: Silva-del-Rio, N. and Others, " Colostrum immunglobulin G concentration of multiparous Jersey cows at first and second milking is associated with parity, colostrum yield and time of first milking, and be estimated with Brix refractometery." Journal of Dairy Science 100:5774-5781. July 2017.