# How do I heat Treat Colostrum?



## Kfin (Jun 23, 2010)

I am raising the kids on a CAE prevention but I am needing to learn how to heat treat the colostrum to kill the CAE virus yet keep the nutrients of the colostrum. How do you do this?

And my list of questions begins:
Is there a better way to feed kids on a CAE prevention other than heat treating colostrum?

How long do I need to feed them this colostrum, and how often?

How much should each kid get? (Lamancha kids)

Can I switch them over to store bought cows milk after they get the colostrum?


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

http://www.extension.org/pages/Pasteuri ... _Colostrum

This link refers to cows and calves but I'm sure the same principle applies.


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## fcnubian (Oct 23, 2007)

This is what I do.
When we heat treat the colostrum we heat the colostrum up to almost 140*F....and get it put into a thermos that was sitting there ready with hot water in it. Obviously, we dump the water out right before the colostrum goes in. Put the colostrum in, get the lid on and let it set for an hour. Once the hour is up, we check the temp of the colostrum. If it's 136 or above it's good to go. Take it out chill it and put it away....

We try to get 20oz of colostrum in the kids with in the first 12 hrs of birth. (I have Nubians)
Yes you can use whole cows milk. Believe it or not, but that can be exchanged w/ goat milk at any time and it doesn't affect the kids. I have used a mix of cows milk and pasteurized goat milk ever since I got the Nubians back in 2006. There are times we run short on goat milk due to not being able to pasteurize right away so we give them whole cows milk when needed. And we have even mixed it with GM when needed. There's been a few times in the past that they went from straight GM to cows milk due to the does coming down with an illness and not milking well...that was a bad time but anyways, the kids didn't care. They ate and it didn't affect them one bit. 


Also, when I raise my kids, I start off from the first feeding letting them eat all they want and they are that way all the way up to weaning. Doing that from the start, we have never had any problems with kids over eating or anything like that...the key is to do that from the start....please do not limit their milk THEN give them all they want! Some people make that mistake and then are left wondering why their kids are hunched up and have the runs...


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

I have a question: if you have to heat it up and then wait for it to cool what do you feed them while you are waiting on this process?


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## fcnubian (Oct 23, 2007)

I have other colostrum to use....what I am heat treating is for the next does kids or for the next year, if it's at the end of the kidding season. I lucked out and got colostrum that was already heat treated so when I started off with the dairy goats I already had some colostrum....plus it really doesn't take that long to do the heat treating...some have to wait until they heat treat, others have some saved back...while others buy it from other breeders ( If anyone goes that route, be prepared to pay big bucks for it.) Normally during the first hour or two the kids don't eat a whole bunch so that would give enough time to milk the doe, heat treat and cool if off for the kid to eat...not ideal IMO....which is why I try to have extra left over...I am very careful with the colostrum.....I try not to waste any of it and we make darn certain not to ruin it by getting it too hot.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

ok thats just what I figured - but wanted the info out there for others who may not already have considered the time involved and the importance of having some on hand for following years.


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## fcnubian (Oct 23, 2007)

IMO anyone who is going to breed goats should have some on hand....for a just in case...Buying goat colostrum is very expensive...That's why I am very careful with all the colostrum we get from the does...I don't want to waste a single drop of it!! lol


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

yes I do believe its a good idea to have on hand (I always suggest it be frozen if there is extra) but a lot of individuals here Kfin included are experiencing their first kidding and do not have the luxury of having frozen colostrum from previous kiddings.


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## FarmGirl18 (Oct 5, 2007)

well in the case that you don't have any frozen, it won't hurt the kids to wait for an hour while the colostrum is being heat treated, they will be hungry though when it's done!


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

heres an idea - when the doe is in labor (but not pushing yet) milk the doe some and then start the heat treating process. I know that my girls start to fill a few hours before kidding. Not saying this is the best choice but it would provide some colostrum. 

Im just thankful I dont heat treat and all my girls are CAE negative. I think I would go crazy :GAAH:


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## fcnubian (Oct 23, 2007)

My girls are all CAE negative also. But there's a better market for prevention raised babies vs dam raised in this area.


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