Effect of colostral volume, interval between calving and first milking, and photoperiod on colostral IgG concentrations in dairy cows

Abstract

Dairy producers should harvest colostrum as soon as possible after calving to optimize transfer of passive immunity in neonatal calves. Photoperiod can be manipulated without adversely affecting colostral IgG concentration.

Factors associated with the concentration of immunoglobulin G in the colostrum of dairy cows

“…Time interval between calving to milking In agreement with previous international studies (Lomba et al, 1978;Straub and Matthaeus, 1978;Moore et al, 2005;Morin et al, 2010), colostrum IgG concentration was negatively associated with the interval from calving to colostrum collection. Corroborating the results from Straub and Matthaeus (1978), the present study failed to identify a significant difference in IgG concentration for cows milked up to 9 h post-calving, although IgG decreased thereafter.…”

“…Possible reasons for the relatively high mean IgG concentration of colostrum in the present study include a short calving to colostrum collection interval (Morin et al, 2010), good grass-based nutritional management, and the use of a relatively low-yielding cow type that produces low weight of colostrum. The average total lactation milk yield for the cows in the present study was 5256 kg, considerably lower than yields reported in previous studies; Pritchett et al (1991) reported mean total lactation milk yield of 9079 kg.…”

“…In the present study, IgG concentration of colostrum collected between 9 and 12 h postpartum was reduced to 86% compared with that of colostrum collected in the first 3 h postpartum, while IgG concentration of colostrum collected between 18 and 21 h postpartum was reduced to 77%. A more recent study (Morin et al, 2010) reported a decrease in colostral IgG concentration of 3.7% per hour post-calving. In the present study, colostral IgG concentration decreased by 1.1% per hour post-calving.…”

“…The bovine placenta does not allow the transfer of immunoglobulins from the dam to the calf while in utero and so the newborn calf must absorb a critical mass of IgG from colostrum before cessation of intestinal transport occurs at 24 to 36 h of age to acquire immunity against the pathogenic organisms it will encounter as soon as it is born (Weaver et al, 2000). As many studies evaluating colostral IgG concentration and weight have been undertaken within non-pasture-based systems of production (Morin et al, 2010;Kehoe et al, 2011), it is unknown whether low concentration of IgG in colostrum could be a factor contributing to the relatively high calf mortality rate in Ireland. The objective of this study, therefore, was to quantify the colostral IgG concentration and weight of Irish dairy cows in a pasture-based system and determine the associated factors.…”

“…Although much research has been conducted on the factors associated with colostrum quality in cows, including parity (Pritchett et al, 1991;Gulliksen et al, 2008;Kehoe et al, 2011), breed (Muller and Ellinger, 1981), length of the dry period (Pritchett et al, 1991), time interval from calving to milking (Lomba et al, 1978;Moore et al, 2005;Morin et al, 2010) and volume of colostrum produced (Kruse, 1970;Pritchett et al, 1991), few studies have examined the factors associated with the colostrum quality of cows in seasonal, grass-based systems such as those that exist in Ireland. Moreover, only a limited number of studies have attempted to quantify the relationship between colostral IgG concentration and colostral weight (Pritchett et al, 1991;Guy et al, 1994;Baumrucker et al, 2010).…”