Colostrum quality in Northern Italy: The role of dry cow nutrition and colostrum feeding management

<br>This study investigated the effects ofdry cow feeding oncolostrum quality. Asurvey was conducted, and samples ofcolostrum and feed ingredients were collected from 25dairy farms inNorthern Italy. Colostrum was analysed for quality interms ofBrix value and gamma globulins, while diets and feed ingredients were analysed for their chemical constituents. The mean colostrum quality (<i>n</i>=163) was 24.3± 4.41% Brix and 54.2± 20.8g/l gamma globulin. The refractometer method effectively assessed colostrum quality, correlating accurately with laboratory gamma globulin measurements (<i>R</i>=0.729). Factor analysis indicated that key nutrients, such asprotein and fat daily intakes indry cow diets, influenced colostrum immunoglobulinG. Furthermore, supplementation ofselenium, vitaminA, vitamin B12, and vitaminE also improved colostrum quality. Colostrum feeding occurred, onaverage, 5.44± 2.63h post-calving, with aquantity of2.74± 0.71l per meal, which isbelow the recommended 10% ofthe calf body weight. However, the maximum feeding time was 12h, and the minimum colostrum quantity was 1.25l, highlighting considerable room for improvement.