Sodium bicarb as a supplement to colostrum replacer

The merits of adding sodium bicarbonate as a supplement to commercial colostrum replacer (CR) were evaluated in a recent, 40-calf study at the University of New Hampshire. Four feeding groups were evaluated:

• One feeding of CR containing 191.4 g of IgG, fed within 45 minutes of birth
• The same, single feeding of CR, plus 30 g of sodium bicarbonate
• Two feeding of CR, the first containing 127.6 g of IgG and fed within 45 minutes of birth; the second containing 63.8 g of IgG and fed six hours after birth
• The same, two-dose feeding regimen, with 20 g sodium bicarbonate added to the first feeding, and 10 g sodium bicarbonate added to the second feeding

The researchers concluded that the addition of sodium bicarbonate may increase IgG absorption when calves are fed colostrum replacer in a single feeding, but that it had no effect on calves that received the split feeding.

Source: Journal of Dairy Science

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