Importance of High Quality Colostrum For Your Calves

Many ranchers across the West are in the thick of calving season. Performix Nutrition Systems Animal Nutritional Consultant Dr. Boone Carter reminds beef producers the importance of providing your cows with adequate nutrition, minerals and protein to insure that a high quality colostrum is available when calves are born.

Carter: "Colostrum is probably the most important factors in calf survivability. So if we want to have good colostrum, then we have to start with good nutrition; not just a few days before the calf is born, but probably like six weeks to two months before the calf is born. So a good mineral nutrition — especially trace minerals nutrition — at that time is critical so that cow has all the ability that she needs to produce high colostrum."

Carter continues with the importance of protein in your cow's diet.

Carter: "Protein to the cow is another important factor because all the amino goblines that the calf receives in the colostrum are proteins that are made by the cow weeks before the calving. If she doesn't have adequate protein to make good colostrum, the probability of that calf surviving disease challenges dramatically decreases."