The aim of the project is to analyse the current status of colostrum nutrition in Czech dairy herds from the point of view of calf management and colostral antibody levels in calves, and assess the health status of pre-weaning calves. Furthermore, the project aims to evaluate biological and microbiological quality of colostrum and analyse some influencing factors, specify impacts of common ways of colostrum handling (defrosting, warming up) on its immunological and microbiological properties, and study changes of colostrum resulting from specific colostrum treatments employed to reduce paratuberculosis transmission. The project also aims to develop a new colostrum replacer based on dried colostrum supplemented with egg contents from immunized laying hens that would be equal to natural cow colostrum and would be used mainly for disease control purposes. Another objective is to develop guidelines to standardise and optimize operating procedures during the colostrum feeding period that would contribute to natural enhancement of colostral immunity, improve calf health, and reduce the use of therapeutics, antibiotics in particular, in young calves.