Not all lamb milk replacements are the same. Following colostrum feeding, the choice of a lamb milk replacer for artificially reared lambs is an important consideration. A digestible, carefully formulated milk replacer can help lambs to achieve their full growth potential to develop into strong, robust lambs which continue to perform.
Calves are born with no immunity and rely on colostrum to gain immunity against disease, with colostrum being the first feed, cleanliness is so important. By following simple steps and putting hygiene protocols in place you can minimise the risk of disease in calves.
Unfortunately, far too many farms are still losing too many calves to scours. Indeed, a 2017 study highlighted that in calves under two months of age, scour is the main cause of death.
What’s more, according to MSD Animal Health’s latest national youngstock survey (spring 2020), 81% of more than 300 farmers surveyed said they had experienced scour in their calves during the last 12 months and 50% of farms had suffered mortalities. On dairy farms, calf deaths due to scour had been seen by more than 65% of units.
Colostrum is a concentrated source of nutrients, which includes fats, proteins, Immunoglobulins such as Immunoglobulin G (IgG), carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Ensuring that a newborn calf gets the correct amount of good quality colostrum as soon as possible after birth is paramount to produce a healthy calf.
