Colostrum management practices in some Romanian dairy farms

Abstract

When calves are born they have no innate immunity so consumption of an adequate volume of high-quality colostrum in the firs hours of life is vital to a dairy calf’s ability to survive and become a productive herd member. Colostrum handing and feeding are essential management protocols for dairy producers. The aims of this study were to investigate current colostrum management practices in Romanian dairy farms using a questionnaire-based that was sent to 30 dairy veterinarians from all over the country between March and June 2019. The questionnaire objective was to describe colostrum management practices carried out in Romanian dairy farms and to identify weaknesses in these areas that may affect calf health and welfare by comparing the results with the current industry recommendations. The way colostrum is managed and fed to calves has changed a lot in recent years in Romania. More operations are removing calves from their dams immediately after birth (83,3%), which decreases the risk of direct disease transmission. Colostrum quality is being evaluated on a higher percentage of operations (63,3%), but the passive transfer of immunoglobulins into the blood of cattle is still tested in a few cases (26,7%). Knowing all these current colostrum practices on our dairy farms help us to identify the possible mistakes that are made and to find solutions to improve the management of colostrum and reducing the morbidity and mortality rates of newborn calves.