Newborn animals do not have a fully developed immune system. Their digestive systems are also not fully developed at birth. Therefore, when managing young animals, we need to consider their vulnerability and use contemporary methods to improve their chances of survival and long-term health.
Natural colostrum & immunity
Newborn animals are extremely vulnerable to disease and infection from their surrounding environment. This is the reason why colostrum from their mothers’ early milk is vitally important for the newborn, ensuring passive (natural) immunity transfer in that initial period of life.
Colostrum contains powerful immunoglobulins (IGS), large protein molecules that provide the first line of defence against infections and harmful pathogens. However, a newborn animal’s gut closure occurs at approximately 24 hours after birth, and at this point the ability to absorb these essential IGS molecules stops. Therefore, colostrum needs to be fed as soon as possible after birth.
What comes after colostrum?
Young ruminants (calves, lambs, and kid goats) require several months of care before their rumen is fully functional. Therefore, these newborns are still dependent on milk as their primary feed source until such time as their digestive systems can process larger amounts of more complex feed ingredients and grass and/or roughage feedstuffs. As such, milk and/or a more economical milk replacer is required until the young ruminant is fully developed.
This is an especially important consideration of dairy farmers who require the milk produced by the adult animals to sustain their commercial enterprise. In cases like these, it is often more cost-effective to feed the calves a milk replacer than use the saleable whole milk. The same applies to the goat industry. Although it is not the norm to hand-raise lambs and goat kids in a commercial production system, there are some unavoidable occasions when a milk replacer is required.
ALLMILK has been developed to supply all the required nutrients for young ruminants to stimulate optimal growth, and offer the animals the best chance at healthy gut development.
ALLMILK dissolves instantly in cold water, and has been formulated with a high level of pure milk protein and a specifically selected blend of fats to give calves, lambs, and goat kids the ideal start in life. In addition, this innovative formulation contains B-vitamins, betaine, micro minerals with trace minerals (copper, manganese, selenium, iron, zinc) in their organic form, making it more readily available for the body for growth and development.
ALLMILK also contains probiotics: Bacillus subtillus; Bacillus lichiniformus, Saccharomyces cerivisae and Acidophilus sp, and prebiotics. This addition of proven prebiotics (the feed source for probiotics and additional gut health benefits) and active probiotics, offers the young animal an enhanced natural defence with each feeding.
These continuously fed active probiotics also ensure improved immunity and proliferate the gut environment, thereby diminishing the chances of pathogenic bacteria populating the digestive system.
The full ALLMILK nutritional composition is summarised in the following table.
| ALLMILK Nutritional Composition | ||
| Minimum (per kg) | Maximum (per kg) | |
| Protein | 21g | |
| Fat | 23g | |
| Fibre | 8g | |
| Calcium | 9g | |
| Phosphorous | 6g | |
| Sodium | 2g | |
| Vit A | 30 000 i.u | |
| Vit D3 | 10 000 i.u | |
| Vit E | 250mg |
ALLMILK milk replacer is readily available at Lavendula in Potchefstroom, and is available in pack sizes of 2,5kg, 7kg and 25kg. Mixing directions as stated on the packaging.
ALLMILK Reg No: V16072 Act 36 of 1947