Calves are adapted to grass; so long stem hay for the first 3-7 days is a normal recommendation. Calves usually prefer a dry grain mix at first, but will quickly adapt to high moisture feeds, including corn silage over a 1-2 week period.
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.
Calves should be fed daily approximately 10% of their body weight (1 quart of milk weighs 2 pounds). For example, a Gir 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.
