Life Stage 1

Birth to 6 weeks of age

Goal:  To maximize calf survival by getting calves started with proper management, good nutrition and minimum stress for optimum performance throughout their lifetime.

Growth potential:  1 inch in height at the withers and 30-40 pounds of body weight.

1. At birth, feed good quality colostrum immediately.  It is the most important step to increasing the survival rate and health of the calf.  Feed at least 2 quarts of colostrum within the first hour of life to develop passive immunity and resistance to disease.  Feed an additional 2 quarts of colostrum within 4-5 hours of the first feeding to maximize the immunoglobulin absorption level.

The Effects of Feeding 2L or 4L of high quality (50 + g/L IgG) colostrums within the first hour of birth

Treatment	Vet costs ($/calf)	ADG (kg/d)	305 ME 1st lactation (kg)	305 ME 2nd lactation (kg)
2L (n=37)	$24.51	0.80	8952	9642
4L (n=31)	$14.77	1.03	9907	11294
Difference	-9.73	+0.23	+955	+1652

2.     At 3-4 days of age, introduce a Doboy^® milk replacer for optimum performance and economic benefit.    Several Doboy^® formulas are available which offer options for various management practices and individual farm needs.  (See calf product page  for details.)  

3.      At 3-4 days of age, introduce Doboy^®'s Calf-R-Ration, Code 411.  This texturized feed provides the protein needed by young claves as well as coccidiosis prevention.   The recommended feeding rate for Calf-R-Ration is one pound per 100 lbs. of body weight.  

Milk and grain

The rumen of the calf  fed  milk and grain has a dark coloration, which is caused by increased tissue mass and large blood vessels . The papillae  are numerous and visible without magnification.

Copyright 2008 The Pennsylvania State University Last modified Apr 09, 2008

Life Stage 2

Weaning - 6 weeks to 6 months of age

Goal:  To provide top nutrition and management to maximize growth and overall health of the calf.

Growth potential:  270 pounds of body weight and 8 inches in height at the withers.

1. At 4 -5 weeks of age, begin weaning; calves should be consuming 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of Calf-R-Ration.  Gradually reduce the amount of milk replacer powder fed while keeping the water level the same over a 4-5 day period.  Increase the amount of Calf-R-Ration fed at the same time.  Offer clean, fresh water at all times.

2. After weaning is complete, switch calves to a grower formula.  There are three to choose from:

   • Calf Grow-R Formula with Deccox, code 437

   • 17% Calf Grower w/Deccox, code 417

   • 17% Complete Calf Feed, code 422

3. At 300-400 lbs of body weight, introduce small amounts of good quality low fiber dry alfalfa/grass hay.

Life Stage 3

Grower, Gestation, & Developer - 6 to 22 months of age

Goal:  To maximize growth and develop good frame size while avoiding excessive energy intake which could cause fatty udder development and over conditioning.

Growth potential:  Weight 1275 pounds and measure 53 inches at the withers (875 pounds of gain in 16 months.)

1. Heifers should reach puberty at 9 months of age and weigh 600 pounds.

2. Proper breeding weight of 875 pounds should be gained by 13-14 months of age.  Heifers bred prior to 15 months of age will assure a 24 month calving age.

3. Pay special attention to heifers two months prior to breeding to assure that heifers are growing at a rate of 1.5 to 2.0 lbs. per day to reach proper weight and size for breeding.  For heifers the average breedings per conception is 1.5.  To ensure conception at 15 months, you may need to begin breeding at 13 months of age.

4. Forages should be analyzed for nutrient content to provide a balanced ration that will maximize the utilization of on-farm forages and grains.

5. Doboy^®'s Ration Balancer can balance a ration utilizing your on-farm forages and grains. Thus, you can be assured of supplying the proper amounts of energy, protein, minerals, vitamins, and salt to achieve optimum growth.

6. After heifers are confirmed pregnant, higher levels of corn silage or high moisture corn can be utilized in the diet to meet the increasing energy needs of the growing heifer and developing fetus, and to help reduce feed costs.

7. Doboy^® offers two forms of heifer products:  Pelleted Concentrate and Minerals (See products page for description.)  Both forms offer the flexibility of an economical supplement with a growth promotant for improved weight gains and feed efficiency.  In addition, major and trace minerals, essential vitamins, selenium and salt are provided, thus offering a complete supplement for the growing heifer's  needs from 6 months through 22 months of age.

Monitoring Heifer Growth

Authors: Tom Bailey, Julia M. Murphy, Virginia Cooperative Extension Publication Number 404-286, posted June 1999

Life Stage 4

Pre-freshening - 22 to 24 months of age

Goal:  To minimize the stress of transitioning the heifer to the milk cow group, while maintaining body condition and maximizing fetal growth.

Growth potential:  Weigh 1340 pounds and measure 54 inches at the withers at calving.

1. Provide a balanced ration that will allow for rapid fetal growth.

2. The energy density of the diet needs to be increased, adjusting for a lowered dry matter intake of 22 to 23 pounds which typically occurs during this stage.

3. Closely monitor the body weight or body condition of the heifer.

4. Minimize stress by reducing unnecessary handling and grouping movement.

5. De-worm with Doboy^®'s Safe-Guard D-Worm-R two weeks prior to calving to help reduce stress on the heifer and help increase feed efficiency in early lactation.

6. Heifers should be adjusted to the milking cow ration prior to freshening by developing a steam-up ration which incorporates ingredients of the milk cow diet into the heifer ration.  This not only allows the heifer to become adjusted to the new diet, but also allows the rumen bacteria to adapt gradually to the new diet.  Gradual ration changes are much less stressful than abrupt ones.  Begin feeding the steam-up ration three weeks prior to freshening.