| Livestock
Make colostrum ‘liquid gold’
this spring
Calves who don’t receive enough colostrum at birth are more than twice as
likely to develop pneumonia, and can have mortality rates as high as 13%.
his is just one compelling
reason the 3Qs – quality,
quantity and quickness of
colostrum given after birth –
can make a big difference to
the need for antibiotic
treatments later in an animal’s life, says Gwyn
Jones, chair of the Responsible Use of
Medicines in Agriculture (RUMA) Alliance.
He says this is the rationale behind RUMA’s
#ColostrumIsGold message, being promoted
throughout February as peak calving and
lambing season approaches. The campaign will
see UK cattle, sheep and pig sectors teaming
up to promote the ‘liquid gold’ properties of
colostrum.
“RUMA’s been around for over 20 years,
giving guidelines on how to use all kinds of
medicines responsibly,” explains Mr Jones.
“But more recently it’s played a big role in
mobilising the farming industry to face up to the
threat of antibiotic resistance.
“While the danger to human health of using
antibiotics to treat disease in farm animals
remains widely debated, we do know that the
more antibiotics are used, the more likely
bacteria will become resistant to them. If we’re
not careful, our own stock of antibiotics for use
in farm animals could become ineffective in the
T
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future – which is why the basics like feeding
colostrum properly are so important.”
Government data has revealed that 50% of E
coli bacteria in newborn lambs are already
resistant to spectinomycin, the most commonly
used antibiotic used to prevent and treat
Watery Mouth. But specialist sheep vet Dr
Fiona Lovatt says many lambs contract Watery
Mouth because of insufficient colostrum at
birth.
“The reality is that we simply don’t see
Watery Mouth in lambs that have taken enough
colostrum on board in that golden 24-hour
window immediately after birth,” says Dr Lovatt.
A 5kg lamb at birth needs 1 litre of colostrum
in its first 24 hours of life to give it essential
levels of natural immunity, but importantly, the
first feed should be within two hours of birth.
“Antibodies – essential in protecting against
all disease including E coli infections – cannot
cross through the placenta, so must be
transferred through colostrum,” she explains.
The sheep sector is not alone in having room
to improve its colostrum management. A recent
study suggests only 5% of dairy farmers are
feeding colostrum within the ideal two hours
after birth, and only 31% are testing the quality
of the colostrum for antibody concentration
before feeding it.
Veterinary lead at AHDB and pig specialist Dr
Mandy Nevel says baby pigs need colostrum
too, to maintain body temperature as well as
protect them against disease.
She says: “Baby pigs are born wet and with
very little energy reserve. Ideally they need to
get a feed in within the first 30 minutes to
prevent hypothermia. This early feed will also
provide essential immunity, giving them the
best chance of survival in their first few weeks
of life.
“Sow vaccination is the best way to boost
antibody levels in the colostrum. That is why
piglets who receive good levels of colostrum
early will also be the healthiest at weaning. That
extra care in the first hours of life will really
make a difference.”
Dr Nevel includes post-weaning diarrhoea
and respiratory disease as longer term threats
for piglets receiving insufficient colostrum at
birth. “Colostrum really is a golden opportunity
to secure lower antibiotic use and a healthier
animal for its whole life.”
Farmers and vets looking for more
information should search for the
#ColostrumIsGold hashtag on Twitter, or go to
RUMA’s www.FarmAntibiotics.org website to be
signposted to useful tools, resources and case
studies from 1 February.
February 2018 | Farming Monthly | 25