Here’s what calf-first really means on our farm: how we test and feed that first gallon, why we keep a freezer reserve for calves that haven’t been born yet, and when the “extra extra” finally goes to supplements.
Written by Rob Diepersloot, seventh-generation dairy farmer and founder of WonderCow
When a calf is born on our dairy, one of the first things I think about is getting her that first gallon of colostrum. I’ve seen firsthand how much that first feeding matters. Calves that don’t get enough colostrum will absorb too few antibodies and are more likely to get sick in those early weeks.
Getting the right amount of good quality colostrum within the first hour after calving is our goal as dairy farmers. This allows the calf to defend her immune system and build her gut, which ultimately will impact the rest of her life. In one study of Brown Swiss heifers, the calves that got more high-quality colostrum at their first feeding grew faster and went on to produce more milk as cows.1,2
When that calf is born, I want to know how much colostrum her mom gave, how it tested, and whether we need to pull some from the freezer to make sure she gets enough. That freezer is a big part of what calf-first means on our farm. Some of the colostrum we collect today is already spoken for by a calf that hasn’t been born yet.
Try Whole Colostrum
The First Gallon
Colostrum is the first milk a cow produces after she calves. It gives her calf a first meal and passes along antibodies that help protect her while her own immune system is still developing. We want to get that first feeding in soon after birth because the calf’s ability to absorb those antibodies drops as time goes on.3,4
On our dairy, we collect the colostrum with a milking machine. Once it’s in the bucket, we check it with a small tool called a Brix refractometer. It gives us a quick way to estimate how rich the fresh colostrum is in antibodies. On our farm, a reading above 22% Brix qualifies it for our calf-feeding supply.3,5
On our farm, that first feeding is one gallon. After that, we feed her two quarts every eight hours until she moves on to whole milk. We plan for all of those feedings when we decide how much colostrum to keep on the farm.
Why We Keep Colostrum in the Freezer
One cow might give us more good colostrum than her calf will drink. The next cow might come up short. If that second calf is ready to eat, I want to have good colostrum on hand for her. So when we have extra that meets our calf-feeding standard, we freeze it for future calves.
Those early feedings help the calf’s gut develop, and the antibodies she absorbs from colostrum give her some protection when she’s most vulnerable.4,6 The heifer we’re feeding today is a future cow in our herd. Keeping that freezer stocked is one of the ways we give her a good start, even on a day when her mom comes up short.
When Extra Becomes Surplus
Once our calves have what they need and our freezer reserve is full, any additional colostrum that meets our quality requirements can go toward making supplements. I call it the “extra extra.” How much we have depends on what the cows give and what the calves need. Some days there’s more to spare than others.
That’s the thinking behind the calf-first promise at WonderCow. We source surplus colostrum and keep its naturally occurring fat in our Whole Colostrum Powder.
A Couple of Questions I’d Ask About Calf-First Colostrum
Does the calf always get colostrum from her own mom?
We feed good colostrum from her mom when it’s available. If her mom comes up short or the colostrum falls below our calf-feeding standard, we can draw from the reserve. That’s what we built it for.
What should I ask a brand that says it’s calf-first?
I’d ask what happens to the extra after the first feeding. What do the farmers keep for the next calf? When do they decide they have enough to send any out? Those are the questions I’d want answered if I were buying colostrum for my own family.
The next time you pick up a jar of WonderCow, I hope you think about that first gallon and the colostrum we put away for the next calf. If you’d like to see what we make with the surplus, explore WonderCow Whole Colostrum Powder.
With gratitude,
- Founder Rob
References
- Raboisson et al. (2016). Failure of Passive Immune Transfer in Calves: A Meta-Analysis on the Consequences and Assessment of the Economic Impact.
- Faber et al. (2005). Case Study: Effects of Colostrum Ingestion on Lactational Performance.
- USDA APHIS (2021). Colostrum Feeding and Passive Immunity of Preweaned Holstein Heifer Calves.
- Godden, Lombard, and Woolums (2019). Colostrum Management for Dairy Calves.
- Bielmann et al. (2010). An Evaluation of Brix Refractometry Instruments for Measurement of Colostrum Quality in Dairy Cattle.
- Pyo et al. (2020). Feeding Colostrum or a Colostrum-Milk Mixture for Three Days Increases Small Intestinal Development in Holstein Calves.