Warming colostrum.

[David.]

I have always warmed it in a saucepan because I think I remember once being told that microwaving destroyed the antibodies.
Is this actually correct, or am I unnecessarily making a mess in the kitchen and dirtying the saucepans?.....

 

[milkloss]

We use plastic milk bottle to freeze it so when it comes to thawing it just gets left in boiling water for an hour or so. Always take longer than you want it to though.

 

[neilo]

That's certainly what I've always been led to believe. I would imagine boiling it in a saucepan would do similar too, if your kitchen skills are as good as mine...

 

[David.]

As you were then, just a messy ballache in the night.
At least the dogs get a saucepan to lick..

 

[Sharpy]

Basically microwaving colostrum, or indeed excessive heat breaks up the immunoglobulin chains. Nutritional value is unchanged but there is no immune system priming which is the main point of feeding colostrum.
We always warm it in hot water, no direct heat for this reason.

 

[Moors Lad]

We always warm it in hot water, no direct heat for this reason.

Just put the bag, or container it`s in, in hot water a few times here.

 

[Werzle]

Thaw or warm it in a container immersed in very warm water to start with before adding hotter water . Boiling water or cooking of any sort will knacker it.

 

[David.]

When I said warm in a saucepan, I meant literally put col in pan on hob and stir constantly with a finger, so's not to stick it to the bottom.

 

[Werzle]

When I said warm in a saucepan, I meant literally put col in pan on hob and stir constantly with a finger, so's not to stick it to the bottom.

Far from ideal

 

[Nithsdale]

Indirect heat is what I was taught. In other words don't heat the colostrum, put it into a water bath so you're heating the water which transfers heat to the colostrum...


I just use the powder with lukewarm water




How long can you keep/store fresh, real milk/colostrum before going off?

 

[Whitepeak]

Freeze it in zip lock bags. Thaws much quicker as it has a larger surface area than if frozen in a bottle.

 

[Hfd Cattle]

Put it in a saucepan of warm water and slowly heat up (still in its container)

 

[Werzle]

Indirect heat is what I was taught. In other words don't heat the colostrum, put it into a water bath so you're heating the water which transfers heat to the colostrum...


I just use the powder with lukewarm water




How long can you keep/store fresh, real milk/colostrum before going off?

Not much more than two days i reckon, longer maybe if the weathers cold

 

[Nithsdale]

Not much more than two days i reckon, longer maybe if the weathers cold

Stick it in the fridge but I don't fancy it on my wheetabix when I'm mid lambing and struggling to know my arse from my elbow (some say I struggle with that at the best of times as it is!)

Get the very odd ewe you've to milk off, anything I don't use usually just gets given to something in another pen, or onto the dogs food. Just wondered how long it would keep for... lambing outside so it's not like I need/use much

 

[Henarar]

freeze it in containers so you get a lump that is not very thick, you can then cut it with a knife in to bits and it thaws quicker, you can also just thaw what you need
we put the bits in a small glass bowl floating in a larger bowl of warm water to thaw and warm up.

 

[Werzle]

I always three quarters fill 2.5L plastic milk bottles with colostrum from a local dairy farm and freeze them before calving starts and then i can just let one float in a bucket of hot water when i need one.

 

[steveR]

Freeze it in zip lock bags. Thaws much quicker as it has a larger surface area than if frozen in a bottle.

Ice bags that produce little ice cubes in a plastic bag. I used to freeze it in an ice cube tray, but got told off....

 

[neilo]

Indirect heat is what I was taught. In other words don't heat the colostrum, put it into a water bath so you're heating the water which transfers heat to the colostrum...


I just use the powder with lukewarm water




How long can you keep/store fresh, real milk/colostrum before going off?

Supposedly the antibodies are fine, even after it goes a bit ‘stale’.

I normally use artificial, but got an Uddderly milker last year to collect ewe colostrum. I kept a couple of 500ml containers full in the fridge, then made that up half and half with artificial if I was short.
Seemed to work well, and cheaper/better than relying on artificial stuff of debatable quality.

 

[primmiemoo]

The Vet says colostrum milked from a ewe stays good for two days in the fridge ~ which is much less time than I remember reading about years ago, but apparently we've failed to keep up to date. Stored out of a fridge, then less than a day before bacteria start to grow ~ and there's never any guarantees it will be friendly bacteria in the shed, or in the pickup, particularly in mild weather like at the moment.

Thanks for all the mentions of warming from frozen using the water bath. It's something to print off and put with the supply in the freezer for certain parties to read

 

[steveR]

Supposedly the antibodies are fine, even after it goes a bit ‘stale’.

I normally use artificial, but got an Uddderly milker last year to collect ewe colostrum. I kept a couple of 500ml containers full in the fridge, then made that up half and half with artificial if I was short.
Seemed to work well, and cheaper/better than relying on artificial stuff of debatable quality.

Never seen teh Udderly device... Sadly, their website is truly awful in it's slowness...

How much is the simple ewe model? Asking for a friend....