Using Pasteurized Colostrum with Perfect Udder® Feeding System VS Dried Colostrum

When properly handled, there is simply no substitute for high-quality, pasteurized maternal colostrum typically available on your own farm. Feeding the recommended volume provides each calf with 300-420g of Ig along with all the other beneficial components that mother nature intended it to have.

And it Costs Less!

	High-Quality Dried Colostrum in a Pouch *Replacement dose = 3 bags	Pasteurized Colostrum Using the Perfect Udder® Feeding System *Feeding 15% Body Weight
IgG	180g (60g Ig/Bag)	300-420g (50-70g Ig/L)
Source	Dried Whole Bovine Colostrum	Pasteurized Maternal Colostrum
Colostrum Cost	$80.97 (3x Bags of 60g)	$0.00 (It’s your colostrum!)
Other Costs	Unknown Bottle, Nipple, Feeding Tube, Clean-up	$14.00 * Matilda on a 500 cow farm = $8.00 2 Perfect Udder® Bags & 1 FeedTube = $6.00
Cost g/IgG	0.45	0.03 – 0.05
TOTAL COST/Calf	$80.97 +	$14.00

*Prices based on retail online sources. Matilda pricing based on our subscription service. For more information, please contact our sales department.

New Standards of Immune Transfer

For thirty years, measuring IgG levels in calves has been crucial for assessing passive immunity, with levels above 10 g/L considered successful. Studies show a decrease in passive immunity failure from 41% in 1991 to 13.7% in 2014, but morbidity rates remain high. Experts proposed new standards, emphasizing four categories based on IgG concentrations and recommending feeding 300g of IgG within 2 hours of birth or 400g within 24 hours.

Categories	IgG mg/ml	Serum Total Proteins	Brix %
Excellent	>25	>6.2	>9.4
Good	18.0-24.9	5.8-6.1	8.9-9.3
Fair	10.0 -17.9	5.11-5.7	8.1-8.8
POOR	<10	<5.1	<8.1

(Lombard et al., 2020)

Let’s Do Some Math…

2L of High-Quality Dried Colostrum

2L = 180G IgGs

180 x 30% = 66g/L

63/3.6 Blood =

17.5 g/L IgGs = FAIR

6L of Pasteurized Colostrum in Perfect Udder Bags

6L = 300G IgGs (assuming 50g IgG/L)

300 x 35% = 105g/L

105/3.6 Blood =

29.5 g/L IgGs = EXCELLENT!!

“Excellent passive transfer = 300 + IgG’s into the calf within the first 12 hours of life.”

Issues with Dried Colostrum

It is consistently lower in Ig than fresh colostrum … in most cases, by a factor of 50% lower
It is consistently lower in the myriad of vitamins, minerals and other biologically important proteins.
It will consistently fail to match the antibody profile of your herd of cows … because it is from another herd.
It is consistently easier to train an employee … but consistently worse for the calf. Which is more important?
It is consistently fed through containers, tubes and nipples that are not as biosecure as Perfect Udder®.
It is consistently more expensive than fresh colostrum when we look at $/gram of Ig

Look, if you do not have access to your own high-quality colostrum you should absolutely use a high-quality dried colostrum. However, with proper herd management, poor maternal colostrum should not be an issue. When combined with our Perfect Udder Colostrum Management System, your calves will flourish and so will your production.

We’re Here to Help

Reach out to one of our Calf Consultants and they will get you taken care of.