How to Get Calves to Eat

Many calves are pulled from their mothers and started on solid food as early as eight weeks of age, and must consume adequate feed to survive. Commercial calf feed is the most common food source, but a number of other items may be used to encourage finicky eaters to ingest enough food to thrive.

Things You'll Need

  • Calf feeder
  • Calf starter
  • Calf milk replacer
  • Colostrum powder
  • Hay
  • Sweet grain
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Instructions

    • 1

      Erect a dedicated calf feeder for your calves. Calf feeders are smaller than cattle feeders and are designed to keep larger cattle from eating the calves' food. Place the calf feeder at the opposite end of the pen from the adult feeders to make the calves more comfortable and allow them to eat undisturbed.

    • 2

      Fill the feeder with a layer of calf starter. Calf starter is a granulated or pelleted feed made of sorghum, corn, oats and sweeteners that provide nutrients while adding extra sweetness to encourage calves to eat. If the calves are reluctant to eat the hard starter, wet it with enough calf milk replacer to soften the feed.

    • 3

      Sprinkle colostrum powder over the calf starter. Calves are born with very little natural immunity, and colostrum provides antibodies necessary to grow and thrive. Add colostrum powder to the feed for 14 days, or until the calves readily eat the calf starter.

    • 4

      Break up a few flakes of hay and place them on the ground near the feeder. Cattle are natural grazers, and the sweet scent of fresh hay encourages the calves to eat. Grass hay, or a mixture of grass and alfalfa, is ideal for growing calves.

    • 5

      Mix 1 cup of sweet grain per calf into the calf starter to kick-start slow eaters. Calves enjoy sweet treats, and the mixture of grains, corn, oil and molasses in sweet grain encourages even the pickiest calves to eat. Store sweet grain in a cool, dry place to prevent the oil from spoiling.