Table of Contents
Calves should be fed daily approximately 10% of their body weight (1 quart of milk weighs 2 pounds). For example, a Holstein calf weighing 90 pounds at birth would be fed 4.5 quarts (9 pints) of milk daily or 2.25 quarts per feeding when fed twice daily.
How much grain should a calf eat?
Calves will need 4 to 5 pounds of a grain-protein mixture per head daily to average 1.2 pounds daily on winter fescue pastures (Table 3). Forage sorghum, small grain and grass legume silages work well for wintering calves but are lower in energy than corn silage.
How much do you feed a calf?
Calves require energy and protein to support and maintain their normal body functions (maintenance), and for growth and immune function. To achieve a minimum growth of 0.8kg/day pre-weaning, 700-900g of milk solids per calf/day should be fed in at least two feeds.
How much milk does a calf needs per day?
Milk feeding should be 3 or 4 times in a day during the first weak and can be reduced to 2 times in a day up to 90 days of age. Milk allowance should be correct to the body weight of the calf and over feeding should be avoided in the first month of age.
How much grain should a 400 lb calf eat?
It takes about 1.1 to 1.3 pounds of a 40 percent protein supplement per head daily to supplement the corn silage intake of 400- to 500-pound calves (Tables 2 and 3). However, 1 pound of soybean meal appeared to be adequate for corn silage used in Kentucky studies with 400-pound steer calves.
Can you overfeed a calf?
It’s important that you do not overfeed your bottle calves. Calves will eat until they are sick. But feed only the recommended amount; overfeeding can cause overeating disease, a bacterial disorder that will quickly kill calves.
Can a calf eat too much grain?
Grain overload also is common in feedlot cattle when they are introduced to heavy grain diets too quickly. Adult cattle accustomed to heavy grain diets may consume 30–45 lb (15–20 kg) of grain and develop only moderate illness, whereas others may become acutely ill and die after eating 20 lb (10 kg) of grain.
Do calves need meal?
Meal and roughage Good quality meal should always be available. Most meals contain 18 – 20% protein, and should contain a coccidiostat. A successful regime is to have calves eating at least 0.5kg of meal at 8 weeks of age, then to increase to 1 – 1.2kg at weaning until the calf is at least 12 weeks of age or 100Kg.
How often do you feed a baby calf?
Feeding Schedule Most calves need only need 2–3 bottles a day. You won’t have to worry about middle-of-the-night feedings or early-morning waking; bottle calves eat during the day and sleep at night. It is a pretty simple process: Feed a bottle 2–3 times a day.
At what age do calves start eating grass?
When Do Calves Start Eating Grass? Calves normally start to nibble on grass or hay within 1 or 2 days of being born. Calves start ruminating to some degree when they’re about 2 weeks old, with their rumen fully developed by 90 days of age.
How long should you bottle feed a calf?
Usually, a calf should stay on milk or milk replacer until he is at least four-months-old. Don’t wean him off milk until he is eating an adequate amount of high-quality forage along with some grain pellets. Have you had success bottle raising calves?Mar 5, 2021.
How long does a 50 lb bag of milk replacer last?
To maximize its freshness one should rotate the milk replacer stock by following the rule of “first in, first out”. The average recommended shelf life of milk replacers is approximately six months under ideal storage conditions.
How long should calves be on milk?
Calves can be weaned from milk when they are eating a pound and a half or two pounds of the calf starter, for at least three days in a row. This means that calves should not be weaned based on age but rather based on their feed intake. Some calves can be weaned at four weeks, but others may be up to 10 weeks old.
When should I stop feeding my calves grain?
In early weaning systems calves need to begin eating some grain by 2 weeks of age to allow enough rumen development to occur before weaning at 5 or 6 weeks of age. If we do a good job of managing grain intake, it is possible to wean calves at 6 weeks, even when milk feeding rates are high.
How much weight will a calf gain per day on grass?
Calves will gain 1.5 to 2+ lbs per day from 4 months of age until weaning. Average daily gain will depend on forage availability and forage type. For example, unweaned calves in the mountains of Virginia grazing Orchardgrass/Bluegrass pastures will easily gain 2 or more lbs per day.
When should I introduce calf pellets?
Milk here should be given through nipple suckling, bottle feeding or early introduction to bucket feeding. Third week: Between two to three weeks of age, introduce high quality roughage. This can be supplemented with concentrates preferably calf starter pellets.
