Freezing Colostrum?

silly

How do you freeze yours? Used to do it in old milk cartons, trying freezer bags this yr but every second one springs a leak when we start to defrost them.

Limestone Cowboy

silly wrote: »

How do you freeze yours? Used to do it in old milk cartons, trying freezer bags this yr but every second one springs a leak when we start to defrost them.

Milk cartons aswell but I'm open to better suggestions because Tis a balls to thaw them.

pajero12

500ml bottles, that way you're only thawing approx one feeding at a time.

dodo mommy

Try and use 1 litre bottles here but a lot of the time it ends up n 2 litre bottles.

case885

pajero12 wrote:

500ml bottles, that way you're only thawing approx one feeding at a time.

Half a litre seems a bit on the low side, we try and get 2 litres in to them straight away so the milk carton is very handy.

silly

We give them 3lts for their first feed, so 500mls is very little. Might just try different bags, I think you can get one specifically for fluids. Was even thinking of getting the breastfeeding bags by linasoh but they are small and expensive. Maybe double bag?

Milked out

Milk cartons here as well. 2 litres would be the minimum they need. If we used more of the 3 litre drums in the house I'd use those. There are a crowd that make calf feeders and that kinda thing that have a bag and thawing system, basically a 3 litre bag and water bath and a frame to keep the bags in when frozen can't remember where I saw it on YouTube probably. Might have been Holm&laue. Probably stupid money

pajero12

silly wrote: »

We give them 3lts for their first feed, so 500mls is very little. Might just try different bags, I think you can get one specifically for fluids. Was even thinking of getting the breastfeeding bags by linasoh but they are small and expensive. Maybe double bag?

If you've ever tried feeding a purebred charolais calf still wet on the ground, you'll know the key is little and ofter, you're wasting your time with 3 litres. Even for a normal calf that sounds like a lot to me

bogman_bass

one feed. get it into him and go to bed. Forget little and often. Try the nipple and if that wont work tube him

J.O. Farmer

pajero12 wrote: »

If you've ever tried feeding a purebred charolais calf still wet on the ground, you'll know the key is little and ofter, you're wasting your time with 3 litres. Even for a normal calf that sounds like a lot to me

The little and often sounds more like wasting time. Get the first feed into him and hopefully that gives him the energy he needs to get little and often from mammy or at least to live till morning. Although with the reputation of some charolaois lines he'll be getting little anyway whatever about often.

dodo mommy

bogman_bass wrote:

one feed. get it into him and go to bed. Forget little and often. Try the nipple and if that wont work tube him

Couldn't agree more

Never wrestle with pigs

Get the big ziplock bags, they hold about 3/4L. Put it into two bags just incase. It has a larger surface area so it thaws out allot quicker.

silly

Never wrestle with pigs wrote: »

Get the big ziplock bags, they hold about 3/4L. Put it into two bags just incase. It has a larger surface area so it thaws out allot quicker.

Yeah that's why we switched to bags will try double bagging.

The 3lt first feed came as a recommendation from teagasc, wouldn't be what we normally did, but it's working fine so far, only the thawing can be time consuming, which is what my initial question was about.

49801

Used to use the plastic bags for making ice cubes. Much quicker to defrost having a larger surface area.

I reckon oven at sub 50f with fan turned on is quickest way to defrost. But your still prob talking a couple hours to defrost.

Western Pomise

The whole key is to get it into the calf ASAP....their ability to absorb the nutrients/protections from the biestings lessens with every passing minute,imo you have to factor in the size of the calf to as to how much it needs if feeding yourself but anything over a litre for a small calf will get them through as a first feed,advantage of stomach tubing is you know they are getting it all,whereas messing with a bottle they might slobber half of it out.

Genghis Cant

The most I've ever given a calf is 2l. I'd be thinking if you get 2l into a calf it's a woeful great feed.
And it's the plastic milk cartons here. A right pain they are. Must try two ziplock bags.

jd06

Genghis Cant wrote: »

The most I've ever given a calf is 2l. I'd be thinking if you get 2l into a calf it's a woeful great feed.
And it's the plastic milk cartons here. A right pain they are. Must try two ziplock bags.

Seen a fella defrost beistings with a microwave...

High bike

Use the 2 litre milk cartons too,just take it out of the freezer a few days before you use it and let it thaw pop it in a bucket of hot water for an hr just to take the chill out of it and your good to go,works for me anyway

J.O. Farmer

High bike wrote: »

Use the 2 litre milk cartons too,just take it out of the freezer a few days before you use it and let it thaw pop it in a bucket of hot water for an hr just to take the chill out of it and your good to go,works for me anyway

How do you know you'll need it a few days beforehand.

High bike

J.O. Farmer wrote: »

How do you know you'll need it a few days beforehand.

All you can do is judge when you think she'l calve,your not going to be that far out hopefully and it's OK for a week from the time you take it out of the freezer

Panch18

Why are lads freezing biestings? Or is this just a suckler thing??

38 years alive and we've never frozen them - can't really see why you would

Milked out

Panch18 wrote: »

Why are lads freezing biestings? Or is this just a suckler thing??

38 years alive and we've never frozen them - can't really see why you would

Panch18 wrote: »

Why are lads freezing biestings? Or is this just a suckler thing??

38 years alive and we've never frozen them - can't really see why you would

Mainly for when heifers calve first and some may not give enuv in the first milking and in the busy period when there is nit enough fresh stuff to hand it's handy to have for night time etc. Cousin takes most of ours for the sucklers. I still probably used about 20 litres of frozen stuff. Gave some to neighbour as well and he used it for early calves as he was recovering from injury and wouldn't have been able to milk a cow that calved late evening/ nite time

Tail painter

http://www.gshepherdanimalhealth.co.uk/cattle/calf-care/colostrum-management

3 and 4 litre freezer bags from above link. Half an hour to thaw. A newborn calf should get 8 - 10% of its bodyweight of colostrum within 2 hours of birth. colostrum should be from first milking of the cow and should not be more than 12 hours old. If freezing colostrum, it should be done within one hour of milking. If you dont believe me, ask Emer Kennedy, calf specialist in Moorepark. She has a lot of research done on the subject.

einn32

Farm I'm working on at the.minute is all colostrum tested and good quality stuff frozen in two litre bottles. Heifers tubed with two to four litres depending on size. Thawing can be a pain alright in warm water but the heat of the day helps too. When your knee deep in calving there is usually fresh stuff about plus you move bottles to fridge to start to thaw.