A calf-level study on colostrum management practices associated with adequate transfer of passive immunity in Quebec dairy herds

The objective of this study was to identify the calf-level colostrum management practices associated with an adequate transfer of passive immunity (TPI; defined as serum Brix refractance >8.4% in the first week of life) in small-sized herds. A total of 818 calves from 61 commercial Holstein dairy farms were included in this observational cross-sectional study. For each calf, sex, colostrum delivery method, colostrum volume fed at first meal, and time to first feeding (delay between birth and first colostrum meal) were noted. Blood and colostrum samples were collected to estimate the serum and colostrum quality using Brix refractometry. To quantify the level of bacterial contamination in colostrum samples, total bacteria count and total coliform count (TCC) were measured using the Petrifilm (3M, St. Paul, MN) culture system. In this study, 68% of calves had an adequate TPI (>8.4%). For data distribution, the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles were 1.3, 2.8, and 3.3 L for the colostrum volume fed at the first meal; 20.9, 23.5, and 26.5% Brix; and 1.1, 3.1, and 6.5 h for the time to first feeding of colostrum, respectively. The odds of adequate TPI were 2.6 times higher in calves receiving >2.5 L colostrum at their first meal, 2.9 times higher in calves receiving colostrum with >24.5% Brix, and 1.6 times higher in calves receiving colostrum within 3 h after birth, than in calves not meeting these criteria. In the present study, median bacterial contamination distribution (interquartile range) in the first colostrum meal was 14,000 cfu/mL (3,000-83,000 cfu/mL) for total bacteria count, and 0 cfu/mL (0-1,000 cfu/mL) for TCC. Total bacteria count and TCC were not associated with the odds of adequate TPI in the final model. Overall, these results suggest that specific calf-level colostrum management practices are associated with adequate TPI in small- to medium-sized dairy herds.

Automated summary

In small-sized dairy herds, specific calf-level colostrum management practices, including colostrum volume, quality, and feeding time, are associated with adequate transfer of passive immunity in calves.