Effect of colostral bacterial contamination on the calves

Abstract

The first hours and days of a calf’s life are the most crucial. During this period they adapt to the new living conditions. The newborned calf demand specific protective antibodies and it can receive them only with colostrum. Colostrum is the ultimate nutrition for a calf in the first period of life. It has all necessary nutrients and contains much more protein (5 times higher), minerals (2 times) and vitamins A and D (5 times) than milk. Colostrum contains a large number of immune bodies that protect the newborn’s organism from pathogens of contagious diseases. We assessed the bacterial contamination of cow colostrum and its effect on the calves. We established that the level of bacterial contamination of colostrum, selected under proper conditions with the observance of the rules and its subsequent storage at a temperature of 18 ± 2°C in the frozen state was reduced by 300-1200 times. At the same time, the number of psychrophilic microorganisms increased by 8.5 times on the 30th day of incubation. We also proved that the level of psychrophilic microorganisms in freshly milked colostrum up to 5,000 CFU/cm3 can be considered an important veterinary and hygienic standard of quality and safety, which characterized the suitability of colostrum for cooling and storage. The application of the electrogram of the calf’s intestine revealed the effect of untimely intake of colostrum - when not receiving a portion for 1.5-2 hours and 2.5 hours.