AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich discusses colostrum management programs with Dr. Lisa Gamsjäger, Assistant Professor at North Carolina State University. 

This episode of Have You Herd? is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim and the PYRAMID(R) line of vaccines, a premier choice to protect calves from BRD. Get relentless protection at PyramidVaccines.com.

According to research studies, approximately 30% of beef calves have failure of passive transfer and are below 10 g/L of IgG. These calves are 8x more likely to have a disease and 19x more likely to experience mortality. There may be some fundamental differences in colostrum for beef calves, and management strategies between the two production systems are vastly different which can present unique challenges for beef producers. Veterinarians are in a unique position to provide consultation to their beef clients to be prepared to intervene with assistance and/or providing a colostrum replacement product.

We discuss a study that examined various feeding protocols of colostrum replacer and its impacts on passive transfer, morbidity, mortality and average daily gains. We also discuss areas for future research on beef calf colostrum management and replacement products. Veterinarians should prepare their clients for the upcoming calving season to ensure that calves receive appropriate passive transfer of immunity by proactively discussing these strategies.

References:

Gamsjäger L, Haines DM, Pajor EA, Lévy M, Windeyer MC. Impact of volume, immunoglobulin G concentration, and feeding method of colostrum product on neonatal nursing behavior and transfer of passive immunity in beef calves. Animal 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2021.100345

Mitman SL, Jenkins H, Chamorro MF, Mzyk DA, Foster DM, Gamsjäger L. Impact of 3 colostrum replacement strategies on immunoglobulin G absorption efficiency, passive immunity, health, and growth in beef calves. J Am Vet Med Assoc. July 2025. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.25.03.0139

Gamsjäger L, Haines DM, Pajor EA, Lévy M, Campbell J, Windeyer MC. Total and pathogen-specific serum Immunoglobulin G concentrations in neonatal beef calves, Part 1: Risk factors. Prev Vet Med. November 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2023.106026

Gamsjäger L, Haines DM, Pajor EA, Lévy M, Campbell J, Windeyer MC. Total and pathogen-specific serum Immunoglobulin G concentrations in neonatal beef calves, Part 2: Associations with health and growth. Prev Vet Med. November 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2023.105993