Farmers should be ensuring that calves receive 10% of its body weight in litres of colostrum within the first few hours after birth, according to SRUC’s Jennifer Flockhart.

So, a 40kg calf should be given four litres of colostrum within the first few hours after birth. Colostrum can be fed to the calf by the means of a bottle with a teat or stomach tube.

Colostrum contains immunoglobins – proteins – that are essential to the calf in the first 24 hours.

Lambs

Lambs should be given 50ml/kg within the first few hours after birth. Farmers using cattle colostrum for lambs where ewe colostrum is not available are being told to increase the quantity given by 30% according to Kirsten Williams, SRUC.

Colostrum from cattle is said to be less concentrated than ewes meaning that lambs should receive more depending on their weight to try and sure they get an adequate number of antibodies.