Delaying colostrum intake for more than a few hours can render it ineffective, warns Warwickshire large animal vet Nick Blayney, as changes in the structure of the gut wall block vital proteins from getting to work.
"Ewes produce colostrums immediately after birth for good reason," explains Mr Blayney, Principal veterinary surgeon and owner of the Arden Forest Veterinary Group. "The lining of a newborn lamb’s stomach is more porous immediately after birth, allowing the easy passage of large proteins and other nutrients straight into the blood stream – large proteins such as the antibodies present in colostrums which are crucial to lamb immunity.
