Calves & Heifers

Whether we’re talking about a kid with one 4-H calf or a calf ranch with tens of thousands of calves, the key questions about feeding calves are the same. How do you minimize cost of production? What composition of protein and fat milk replacer should we feed? How much should we feed each day? And for how many days should we feed milk?

Gone are the days of feeding calves 2 quarts of milk or milk replacer twice a day, but while feeding higher levels of nutrition is the new industry norm, there’s still room to improve.

Proper barn planning saves time and money. For every decision, it is important to understand its associated ramifications. In calf barns, housing style and pen configuration decisions impact ventilation options, which in turn affects the overall success of the barn.

Calves are naturally herd animals, but the transition period is often the first time they are grouped with others. This brings about a set of challenges that need specialized attention from calf managers.

This article is part one in a two-part series on pre-weaned heifer nutrition. Look for part two in a future issue.

What is a quality calf-feeding program? For too long, the ideal calf-feeding program has been viewed as one that was low-cost and weaned calves as soon as possible.

With increased emphasis on early life feeding programs for replacement heifers, the need for more information regarding successful weaning management is clear. More and more dairy farmers are feeding double, and sometimes nearly triple, the milk feeding rates that had been recommended for decades prior.