Monitoring the Quality of Colostrum and Pasteurized Waste Milk

Abstract

Raising healthy calves depends upon successful management of a number of environmental and nutritional factors. Calves are particularly susceptible to enteric diseases when their diet is contaminated with high levels of bacteria. Veterinary technicians can play a key role in helping dairies minimize diseases caused by enteric pathogens by trouble-shooting and proactively monitoring the bacterial load in colostrum and milk offered to the calves. This paper describes the methods for quantitative and serial culturing, and gives current bacterial guidelines for colostrum and pasteurized waste milk.