Short communication: Addition of milk replacer to colostrum whey: Effect on immunoglobulin G passive transfer in majorera kids

Abstract

Forty-two Majorera kids (21 males and 21 females) were assigned to 3 groups, a colostrum group (C), a colostrum whey group (CW), and a colostrum whey plus milk replacer group (CWMR). All kids were fed twice on the first day and received 4 g of IgG/kg of body weight. No differences were found in serum IgG among the different treatments. Kid serum IgG concentrations on d 2 were 14.57, 17.25, and 13.32 mg/mL in the C, CW, and CWMR group, respectively. Labor time per animal was higher in the C and CW treatments than in the CWMR group (24.2 ± 2.3, 20.9 ± 3.4, and 16.1 ± 1.5 min, respectively). This new management system may decrease labor costs during the colostrum feeding period. © American Dairy Science Association, 2007.