Aim:
To investigate histology characteristics in the small intestine of lambs fed bovine colostrum (BC) or bovine colostrum (OC)

Protocol:
At 0 and 6 hours of life, 12 newborn lambs received 250ml BC and another 12 animals received 250ml of OC. Samples of the small intestine were collected at 24 and 72 hours of life

Results:

• BC group had higher amounts of colostrum-filled vacuoles in the intestinal epithelium compared to OC group
• Histological changes related to the ingestion of BC did not determine any consequences of enteric physiology
• Results confirm success of using BC as a substitute for OC in newborn lambs

Reference
Machado-Neto R, et al. (2011) Intestinal histology of Santa Ines lambs fed bovine or ovine colostrum. Czech J Anim Sci 56(10): 465-474.