Start offering a good quality calf starter feed at five days old. When the calf is eating 1.5 to 2.0 lb of starter per day, you can wean it (typically 5 to 7 weeks old). Also provide fresh water daily out of a bucket because it is less labor and teaches a calf to drink on its own. If calves have free choice access to water, calf starter intake will be greater and as a result average daily gains after four weeks will be greater.
Dave Fischer, Extension Dairy Educator, University of Illinois - Illini DairyNET
Neil Broadwater, University of Minnesota Regional Extension Educator - Dairy
