Calf Immunity Critical

Because calves are born without an active immune system, they rely the antibodies from colostrum found in their mother first milk, for protection against scours and pneumonia. 

 

There are several factors like delayed nursing, reduced colostrum quality and cold stress that can lead to disease issues for new born calves.

 

Calves that do not consume high-quality colostrum are six times more likely to get sick during the first weeks of life compared to calves that consumed enough colostrum.

 

One solution producers can use to protect their spring calf crop is to provide supplemental immune protection to their newborn calves immediately after birth. ImmuCell Corporation Director of Sales and Marketing Bobbi Brockmann shares more about their supplemental immune product - First Defense.

 

Brockmann: “Colostrum is important and we all know that. Colostrum provides a general mass of antibodies that really ignites the immune system in a baby calf. In addition to colostrum, there are products like First Defense that provides specific antibodies against the diseases that those calves are going to see within the first few days of life — so E. coli and coronavirus. If we can provide specific antibodies from First Defense in addition to good quality colostrum that will provide every calf a very strong start.”