What to Do With ‘Saved’ Colostrum
Colostrum should be filtered through gauze at the time of collection to remove any debris, and then frozen in 200 ml fractions. Filtered colostrum may then be placed into heavy-duty freezer bags, small Tupperware containers, or ice cube trays enclosed within a plastic bag.
-NEVER store colostrum
in glass containers as this destroys the antibodies!
-Always label the colostrum container with the mare's name, collection date, farm name and phone number.
-A mare that loses her foal can be milked out every two hours until the specific gravity of the colostrum falls
below 1.090.
-Colostrum may be collected from a mare that has a healthy foal too. Wait until the foal has suckled for a couple of
hours, then clean the udder. Cleansing of the udder should be performed using warm water and a small amount of
mild dish soap (i.e. Ivory). After cleansing the udder, it should be rinsed clean of soap residue and dried with a soft
towel. The mare can then be milked out into a plastic container. (NOTE: It is not recommended to collect maiden
mares! The quality and quantity of a maiden mare’s colostrum can be quite variable).
-Colostrum stored in a household freezer should last approximately one year. In a heavy duty deep freezer, the
colostrum may last up to two years!
The National Colostrum Network was founded at the
University of
Minnesota-College of Veterinary Medicine.