Commercial Colostrum Replacements

Colostrum is the first milk produced from a cow after birth and is rich in nutrients and antibodies. It is very important for calves to get up and nurse shortly after birth so that they can receive colostrum, which gives passive immunity to the calf.

If a cow has a difficult birth, this may sometimes lead to a lack of readily available colostrum for the calf, or the calf may not be able to get up and vigorously suckle. The sooner they receive it the better. Some producers may be tempted to buy colostrum from a dairy or an outside herd.