Dairy calf colostrum feeding system launched in UK

A feeding system which delivers colostrum to newborn calves immediately after birth is now available in the UK.

ColoQuick, from Britmilk, uses home-produced frozen colostrum and can get defrosted colostrum to the calf in 20 minutes.

The company claims the product offers calves more antibodies in their first few hours than any other system.

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Britmilk’s Martin Jameson says: “Delivering colostrum to a calf as soon after birth is essential because its ability to absorb the antibodies rapidly reduces in the hours after its birth.

“Every farm would benefit from improved colostrum management, and coloQuick makes this much easier to implement and is the fastest defrosting feeding system on the market,” he says.

A refractometer allows farmers to measure the antibodies in the colostrum taken from their own cows post calving. This ensures only quality colostrum will be frozen for future use in the disposable sterile bag and cartridge specially designed for storing and thawing the colostrum.

Frozen colostrum is warmed in a water bath which protects the antibodies.

The colostrum “cartridge” can be carried on the back and is fed at the correct temperature through a teat and stainless steel probe system. Pasteurising is also optional to eliminate disease spread between cow and calf.