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So, what’s in transition milk that makes it so good?
Baby calves that are fed colostrum for their first two feeds and then abruptly switched to whole milk or a replacer miss out on a very significant nutritional stage linked to transition milk.
After colostrum, cows produce a nutrient and energy-rich feed called transition milk. It includes immunoglobulins, hormones and a range of bioactive components for five-six milkings post calving, which are extremely helpfull for immune development in the baby calf.
A lot of focus has been on the immunoglobulin and protein content of colostrum and transition milk, with little mention of other valuable components including:
Colostral Fat
Colostral fat is commonly associated with providing the calf with energy to keep warm during their first few days of life as they cannot regulate their own temperature very well. However, the fat component is rather complex, it is made up of about 400 different fatty acids. Recent research has shown the fatty acid profile of colostrum and transition milk to be different to that of milk and has a significant role to play in the biological and physiological needs of the newborn calf.
Bonanza calf nutrition, the pioneers of transition milk replacer have included colostral fat in their transition milk replacer (Transformula) to reap all the benefits that nature intended for the baby calf (Table 1).
Fatty Acid | Colostrum V Transition Milk V Mature milk | Benefit to baby calf health |
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3, n-6) | 25% higher in colostrum & transition milk | Modulation of inflammation in the baby calf (Opgenorth et al., 2020a,b) Aids the physiological adaption from the sterile womb to farm environment Shape the future development of the calf’s immune and nervous systems. |
Arachidonic acid | 73% higher in colostrum | Essential for growth, brain development, and health (Jasani et al., 2017) Immunity development and immune response (Hadley et al., 2016). |
Saturated SCFA butyric and caproic acid | 61 and 50% lower in colostrum | Cell metabolism and can stimulate epithelial differentiation. Advantage of reduced levels in colostrum – may help to extend the length intestinal permeability in the baby calf (Hiltz and Laarman, 2019). Allows uptake of immunoglobulins to pass into the bloodstream for longer and achieve better transfer of immunity. |
Palmitic (provides about 30% of total FA), and myristic acids | 16 and 27% higher in colostrum | Appetite promoters and encourage calves to consume more colostrum and transition milk during the first few days of life. Shapes the gut microbiome which gets rapidly populated during the first few weeks of life Configuration of intestinal mucosal homeostasis, and immune response (Havlicekova et al., 2015; Jiang et al., 2018). |
Buttermilk
Buttermilk has been included within Transformula as the fat which is encased in a milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) is separated from its membrane during the churning process. This membrane is made up of several bioactive compounds to include proteins, lipids and sugars. The exclusive range of proteins, lipids and sugars of this membrane have been shown to possess added value in terms of health benefits to the baby calf.
The components found within the membrane of the milk fat globule have both an anti-viral and anti-bacterial effect with several studies showing the benefits associated with MFGM and the inhibition of gastrointestinal pathogens (Sprong et al., 2002; Spitsberg, 2005).
Oligosaccharides
Oligosaacharides are another valuable component found in transition milk and are unique to transformula. They are a type of carbohydrate and act as a prebiotic for beneficial bacteria and aid in preventing pathogens binding to the lining of the gut, often presented as scour in the baby calf. They also promote cell proliferation, therefore reducing the time taken for closure of the porous gut.
A recent trial (Chang et al., 2022) looked at supplementing calves with oligosaccharides and this positively affected the calf’s health compared to those calves which were not supplemented. Incidence of diarrhoea was greatly reduced, and their serum total protein was elevated. Average daily weight gain and final body weights of the calves was much greater and more colonization of the rumen with probiotics was observed.
It is important to remember that it is not a coincidence that colostrum and transition milk are higher in these specific components, they all have a role to play in this vital stage of the baby calfs development, e.g.
>Born with no immunity therefore reliant on passive transfer of antibodies
>Microbiome rapidly develops post birth – (first 0-28 days crucial for shaping microbiome).
>Gastrointestinal tract matures during the first couple of weeks

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