These resources are brought to you by the Cooperative Extension System and your Local Institution

FAQ #25692

Have a question? Try asking one of our Experts

Print Share/Bookmark

I just bought 10 bull calves. They have been hand fed for the past few weeks with milk replacer and calf starter. They are about 200 pounds right now. What would be a good feeding program for them over the winter? I was thinking of a grain ration, fresh water, and a little alfalfa. Am I on the right track? Should the ration/alfalfa be free choice?

Related resource areas: Dairy


View as web page

Offer a calf starter up to two months of age. After two months, shift to a dairy beef calf grower. Both should contain an ionophore. Full-feed the grower and limit feed roughage to optimize growth.

There are a few feeding programs that work. Visit with reputable feed suppliers and compare the costs of gains.

Mike Hutjens, Extension Dairy Specialist, University of Illinois- Illini DairyNET
J.W. Schroeder, North Dakota State University Dairy Extension
Hugh Chester-Jones, University of Minnesota Dairy and Beef Specialist

Browse related FAQs by tag: dairy cattle

Have a specific question? Try asking one of our Experts

Unlike most other resources on the web, we have experts from Universities around the country ready to answer your questions.