Feeding Calves Waste Milk High in SCC or Antibiotics

By Emily Fread

Feeding wet calves waste milk from treated or high Somatic Cell Count (SCC) cows is a common practice. There are many advantages to feeding waste milk, also known as non-saleable milk. Keeping high SCC cows out of the bulk tank lowers the average SCC of the bulk tank and can help farmers receive a premium for high-quality milk. Milk from cows treated with antibiotics cannot be sold within the withdrawal period of that medication. Feeding this milk to calves gives it a use and reduces the money spent on milk replacer.

Research has shown no difference in average daily gain between calves fed waste milk versus milk from the bulk tank (Aust et al., 2012). A study comparing feeding waste milk and milk replacer to calves found that calves fed waste milk had higher average daily gain and higher weaning weight. This study also found that calves fed milk replacer were more likely to be treated, making feeding waste milk more profitable (Godden et al., 2005). This article will explore whether there are any negative impacts of feeding waste milk high in antibiotics or SCC to calves.

How does high SCC impact colostrum and waste milk?

The SCC level of the cow at dry off can negatively affect the cow, but it could also have implications for the calf it is carrying. One study showed that cows that dried off with subclinical mastitis were more likely to have stillborn calves (Antanaitis et al., 2022). Cows with high SCC at dry-off also have a higher risk of coming into the subsequent lactation with an elevated SCC. Research has shown that cows with high SCC at dry-off produce colostrum with lower IgG concentration (Gulliksen et al., 2008; Pasatorini et al., 2025), so it is essential to dry treat these cows. This would mainly affect calves if they were fed this lower-quality colostrum. Monitoring colostrum quality with a tool such as a BRIX Refractometer is critical for successful colostrum management. Low-quality colostrum should be replaced with high-quality colostrum or colostrum replacer. Mixing low-quality colostrum and colostrum replacer is possible, but it will not produce the desired IgG concentration.