How is "Good" Colostrum Determined?
The best colostrum will be full of antibodies to support the foal. The level of antibodies in colostrum can typically be illustrated as a measurement of specific gravity:
-Good colostrum has a specific gravity of greater than 1.060
-Great colostrum has a specific gravity
of greater than 1.090
To measure the specific gravity of colostrum, use an equine colostrometer if available. Avoid bovine colostrometers since they do not work correctly with equine colostrum. If using the colostrometer method, distilled water must be utilized instead of tap water.
A quick and more popular test, however, that is now being performed is the ‘SNAP Test.’ This test can be obtained through an equine veterinarian. Other tests available include the following:
-the Gamma Chek-C (from Veterinary Dynamics)
-the sugar and alcohol refractometer
-measuring serum IgG levels in the foal after it has received colostrum
For those specific tests that utilize a sample of the colostrum, make sure the sample being used is at room temperature. If the colostrum sample is not at room temperature, the results of the test will be inaccurate.
The National Colostrum Network was founded at the
University of
Minnesota-College of Veterinary Medicine.