Objective: To determine the influence of the presence of the dam at the time of colostrums intake on serum gammaglobulin concentration of neonatal calves, from birth to 4 weeks of age. Design: Experimental study.
Animals: Forty newborn calves divided to two groups (20 per group). Procedure: Twenty newborn calves were immediately isolated from their dams after birth and housed in single pen in the calf rearing unit (group 1). The other 20 newborn calves kept with their darns in calving pen for the first 3 h and during this time fed colostrum from nipple pail (group 2). Calves were then separated from their dams and housed in single pen in calf rearing unit. Estimation of total protein followed by garnmaglobulin concentration were carried out by electrophoresis.
Statistical analysis: ANOVA followed by Fischer’s PLSD test. Results: Mean serum total protein levels of calves in group 2 were greater than group I on days 2, 14 and 28 after birth, but the difference were not significant. Mean serum gammaglobulin concentration in-group 2 was greater than calves’ in-group I on days 2, 14 and 28. The difference at day 2 was significant (P< 0.05), but at days 14 and 28 the difference were not statistically significant. Clinical implications: From the results of this study it seems that presence of darns in the first hours of life, and only at the time of
first colostrum feeding (the most important part of received colostrum), can increase serum gammaglobulin concentrations of calves. J. Fac. Vet. Med. Univ. Tehran. 58, 1: 79-82, 2003.
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