Are your calves receiving the best high-quality colostrum possible?
Ensuring your calves receive colostrum on day one is important, but not any colostrum will do. It needs to be high-quality colostrum and full of the nutrients that will give your calves the best start possible. With all of the choices, how can you be sure you are providing the best start for your calves?
Let’s look at the differences between whole and fractionated colostrum products and what they mean for the future of your herd.
Whole colostrum for healthier calves that become productive cows
Give your next generation of cattle premium colostrum.
There is more to colostrum than just IgG for immunity. Colostrum in its whole form is a complex biological liquid that contains thousands of bioactive factors important to starting newborn calves off right. These are often categorized as immune factors, nutrients, and growth factors and hormones.
While the main function of colostrum is to transfer immunity from a dam to her calf through IgGs (or antibodies), many other factors are transferred at the same time. In addition to antibodies, these immune factors include natural antimicrobials such as lactoferrin, lysozyme, and lactoperoxidase. All of these contribute to the healthy operation of local immune function to battle typical pathogens and bacteria.
The most important nutrient in whole colostrum is colostral fat.
Ensure your calves receive the best natural energy source to maintain body temperature and survive.
Colostral fat found within whole bovine colostrum is a unique energy source that helps newborn calves maintain their body temperature in the most extreme conditions. About 5% of the total fat in a newborn calf’s body is “brown fat.” This brown fat metabolizes colostral fat to produce heat to keep those calves from becoming hypothermic. Alternative fat sources found in fractionated colostrum products for calves do not have this same effect.
Whole colostrum also contains proteins, lactose, and a range of vitamins and minerals important for neonatal calf health and growth. Even though fractionated colostrum products claim to add in different vitamins and minerals, colostral fat is what carries the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K in whole colostrum.
Whole colostrum supports gut health
Help your calves thrive with important hormones and growth factors found in high-quality whole bovine colostrum.
Finally, whole colostrum contains important hormones and growth factors that stimulate the growth of cells in various tissues. Some of those tissues cause cells lining the gut to replicate. This results in increased size of the intestinal villi that are the site of nutrient absorption. Therefore, they are important to develop intestines and repair damage caused by certain health events in newborn calves.
In summary, whole colostrum products provide the calf with exactly what it needs to be healthy and productive. The sum of high-quality whole colostrum is much more effective than the individual parts replicated in fractionated colostrum products.
That’s why we offer SCCL Colostrum to supplement or replace maternal colostrum. SCCL colostrum is made with whole bovine colostrum. No blood, whey, egg, coconut oil, or other ingredients not naturally found in maternal colostrum. Plus, it’s cleaner and more convenient than colostrum straight from mom. As a USDA Licensed Veterinary Biological product, which promotes potency, purity, safety and efficacy, you can rest assured your calves are well on their way to a productive tomorrow with the best high-quality whole colostrum.
