Invited Review: Factors influencing colostrum production of multiparous Holstein and Jersey cows*

Abstract

Purpose

Our purpose is to provide insight and new perspectives on factors influencing colostrum yield in dairy cows by describing nutritional, environmental, and management techniques to mitigate the failure of colostrum production and to provide new theories as to why this challenge sometimes occurs in dairy farms.

Sources

Sources come from peer-reviewed primary research articles and previously published review articles on certain topics pertaining to colostrum production.

Synthesis

Diminished or absent colostrum production in dairy cows has been a challenge for producers and researchers. The lack of colostrum production may be attributed to many factors including adequate energy in the prefresh cow diet and increasing dry period length, along with the environmental temperature and possibly hormonal disruptions. These components appear to play a major role in the production of colostrum.

Conclusions and Applications

The results of this review indicate the factors (dry period length, nutrition, environment, and genetics) that have been identified that producers can use to alleviate the challenge of reduced or no colostrum production.