What is Colostrum?
In
the last four weeks of gestation, maternal antibodies and other immunologically
protective substances concentrate in the mammary gland and become incorporated
into the milk. The mare secretes this
milk, called colostrum, for the first 24 hours after foaling. As the foal ingests and subsequently absorbs
the colostrum, passive transfer of colostral antibodies occurs. This passive transfer of the antibodies will
provide the foal with one of its most important forms of protection from
infection until its immune system can produce its own immunoglobulins.
The National Colostrum Network was founded at the
University of
Minnesota-College of Veterinary Medicine.