How to Collect Colostrum

Winter snow may still blanket the ground but foaling season will be here before we know it. If you have a pregnant mare in your barn plan ahead to collect and freeze some of her colostrum that allimportant first milk so you have it on hand if a foal is born without access to this essential liquid.
Colostrum is produced within the first 24 hours after a mare has foaled and the best quality colostrum is available in the first eight hours postfoaling. Unlike other species that pass antibodies and immunoglobulins across the placenta into the fetus the foals immune system does not kickstart until it feeds on colostrum during the first 24 hours of life. Newborn foals are able to absorb the lifegiving antibodies and nutrients for that first day after that time colostrum production decreases and the foals digestive tract changes so the antibodies can no longer be absorbed.

     
Every foaling season foals born without access to this lifegiving liquid. Sometimes a mare dies while giving birth. Perhaps a mare has rejected her foal or leaked milk and colostrum before the foal was born. If the foal is too weak to stand and nurse the mare can be milked and colostrum provided to the foal through a bottle or tube.
How do you go about collecting this magic milk? First allow the newborn foal to properly nurse several times assuming that he can and wait until he is resting ideally about eight hours after birth. Then follow these basic steps

1   Wash your hands and then gently wash the mares udder with warm water. Have a clean reasonably wide plastic container or stainless steel mixing bowl on hand to collect the milk.
2   Calmly approach the mare holding the container in your left hand or right hand if you