Ingredients. However, 1 pound of soybean meal appeared to be adequate for corn silage used in Kentucky studies with 400-pound steer calves. We assume that you are early weaning the calves as a management practice. "Depending on when the calf lost its mother, it may have . Start baby and weak calves on 250mL of milk, five times a day for the first 2448 hours and work up to 2L twice a day. Calves also had free access to their dam's ration and the milk provided from . A simple system is to give the calf a tag with the same number as its mother. *Wean off milk or milk replacer when consumption of CopRice Calf Starter Pellets reaches 0.8kg to 1.0kg per head/per day. If you would like to order a hard copy of the Calf management guide , please contact publications@ahdb.org.uk or call 0247 799 0069. Producers are advised to also seek professional advice from a local animal nutritionist or veterinarian. If you're raising a cow, finding the right balance of nutrition is key to its long-term health and well-being. Jim Paulson, University of Minnesota, Regional Extension Educator, Dairy Calf-Manna is available in farm and home retailers and feed stores across the country (check our store locator for a Manna Pro retailer in your area) in 50-pound, 25-pound and even 10-pound bags. Each calf should be given 1 1/2 to 2 gallons in the first 24 hours of its life. After weaning, changes in the grain mix and housing should be made one at a time, over a two-week period. There are a few vitamins your cattle depend on and that you should monitor their intake of, namely A, D, and E, which they cannot synthesize on their own. Cattle also need to take in a good balance of minerals to stay healthy and gain weight. Calf concentrates should be highly palatable, coarse-textured, high in energy and protein and low in roughage (> 15%). Can a calf eat too much grain? The amount of alfalfa pellets you should feed a cow depends on several factors, including its size and what else it is being given in terms of food. Bottle-Feeding Calf Basics: How Often to Feed. Don't make sudden changes. These have been depleted of sugars, but retain most of their protein, fiber, and other nutrients. To best meet their nutritional requirements, it is important to provide them with the right type and amount of grain. Delayed abomasal emptying can be caused by feeding milk replacer with an osmolality of over 600mOsm/kg. Palatability - Palatability is perhaps the most important factor in a calf starter as encouraging early intakes is key to rumen development. Yes, cows can eat alfalfa. Safe-Guard Type A and other medicated feed products (pellets, cubes, free-choice mineral, or free-choice liquid): Cattle must not be slaughtered for 13 days. Textured Cattle Feed. The feed mix should meet the nutritional requirements of the calves too. Some folks used a commercial ration for the first two to three weeks after weaning and then switched to a complete mix thereafter because it was more economical. 1st Choice. 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. Overall finding suitable quality high value rations that meets all nutritional requirements necessary is key but shouldn't ever come at cost over profitability margins either! Proper bovine nutrition is key to the health and wellbeing of a cow, so it's important to understand the right amount of hay your cow should eat every day. This work is supported in part by New Technologies for Agriculture Extension grant no. Learn More: How big of a pellet grill do I need? Over-feeding pellets to adult rabbits is a common cause of obesity and soft stool (caused by an overgrowth of abnormal bacteria in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract), as pellets are generally low in fiber and high in carbohydrates.