Practical ideas and answers to calf health and calf scours prevention.

By Rebekah Mathews, M.S.

Originally published in Drovers as Borrowing from Dairy: Why Beef Calves Need a Colostrum Strategy

Research suggests that between 5.8% and 34.5% of beef calves experience failure of passive transfer, meaning they don’t absorb enough antibodies from colostrum, even when they appear to be nursing normally. That finding comes from a 2025 review by Abdelfattah, Fausak and Maier that pooled results from more than 60 studies. It challenges a common belief in cow-calf operations that a calf seen suckling a willing dam is adequately protected.

In a recent Drovers article, Rebekah Mathews explains how dairy calf management can inform beef producers. Mathews studied ruminant production and economics before focusing on dairy gastrointestinal development in graduate school, and she is the Midwest region sales and marketing manager for First Defense. Dairies feed tested colostrum on a schedule and then use blood tests to confirm each calf’s antibody levels. Beef producers usually can’t do either and depend on watching calves after birth. Weak calves that are slow to stand or nurse face the highest risk. Poor colostrum quality, delayed or limited intake and crowded calving areas also play a role. Calves that miss out are more likely to die, to need treatment for scours or respiratory disease, and possibly to gain more slowly.

According to the review, timing matters more than whether colostrum comes from the dam or a replacer. Calves that take in enough colostrum within about four hours of birth are more likely to reach adequate antibody levels and less likely to need treatment later. Because constant observation isn’t practical on pasture, Mathews discusses how USDA-validated antibody products can help protect calves whose intake is uncertain.

Her central argument is that producers should treat every calf’s immunity as something that varies, not something guaranteed, and make the hours right after birth a priority each calving season. The full article also compares dairy and beef colostrum protocols side by side.