Waste Milk

Waste milk is milk that is not suitable for the milk tank. This could be excess colostrum, transition milk, milk from cows with mastitis or from animals that have been treated with antibiotics.

It should not be fed to calves unless it is pasteurized, and should never be fed to newborn calves because of their naïve immune systems. It should only be fed to the older calves, preferably over three weeks of age.

Milk from cows that have been treated with a drug that has a milk withdrawal should not be fed to calves. Feeding milk with antibiotic residues can increase antimicrobial resistance and leave residues in calves sold for meat.