One of the main factors affecting the health of any living organism is a complete, proper diet. It is especially important to organize it in the first months after birth. Feeding calves with dry and regular milk occupies a significant place in the care of animals, so it is very important to carry it out correctly to provide the newborn with a complex of all necessary useful components and protect it from the negative effects of external factors.
Feeding calves milk: norms
In order for the calves to develop properly and harmoniously in the first days of their lives, they are fed with colostrum. Its composition is rich in the amount of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, biologically active substances and minerals necessary for a small organism. 
Also there are special enzymes that improve the absorption of colostrum, normalize the functioning of the digestive system, strengthen the immune system, increase the acidity of the stomach.
Feeding calves with colostrum is carried out during the first week, then cubs are transferred to milk. First practice is to use maternal, which is given by means of a bottle or in a natural way - on the suction.
With each week, the amount of food of animals varies: at the beginning of feeding, the rate is 1 l per day, then it is gradually increased to 5-6 l. With 1.5-2 months in the diet gradually begin to enter feed for adults. Up to 2-2.5 months, calves are allowed to drink whole milk (CM).
Important! Feeding of cubs up to 1 month of CM is carried out in small portions, so that it does not stay for a long time in the stomach. This will allow, firstly, to avoid problems with digestion, and secondly, to achieve more intensive growth of babies.
Use of fermented milk
To improve the functioning of the digestive tract and metabolic processes, it is recommended to use fermented milk for feeding calves. To prepare it, traditional acetic acid or special ferments, which include beneficial bacteria, are added to a common product. 
The recipe for making fermented drink at home is simple:
- acid (formic or citric) is diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 9. It is important to add the acid to the water, and not vice versa;
- the prepared solution is added to the milk warmed to 30 degrees at the rate of 25 ml of acid per 1 liter of the product.
The advantages of such feeding are obvious:
- work of a gastrointestinal tract is stabilized;
- digestion problems disappear, in particular, diarrhea, constipation;
- prevents the growth of pathogenic bacteria and viruses;
- reduced risk of various infections.
The fermented mixture is given to the calf, starting with the 2-3rd supply of colostrum in such dosages: 10-20 ml per 1 l for the first time, then - 20-30 ml for 1 l. Gradually increase the portion. They feed the young for two weeks straight from the bucket or using the nipple.
Did you know? Colostrum has a unique composition. It contains a high concentration of protective bodies - immunoglobulins, in particular, immunoglobulin A, which protect the baby’s body from many infections and make it resistant to a large number of diseases. In ordinary milk, the protective bodies are hundreds of times smaller.
Then you can transfer to regular milk or continue feeding fermented until the end of the period of feeding. 
How to drink a calf without milk
Many farmers face the problem of colostrum deficiency. In such cases, switch to calves calves ZMTS - substitutes whole milk.
Find out, also, how to feed calves for rapid growth, how to choose a feed for calves, whether it is possible to give an egg to a calf.
This food is easy to prepare yourself, for this purpose, for 1 l of CM add:
- 15 ml of fish oil, which contains a high content of vitamins, in particular A and D, ensuring the correct formation of the skeleton and bone tissue;
- 5 g of salt;
- 3 fresh little whipped chicken eggs, which due to the content of lysine protect the body from viruses and infections.
Ready-mixes based on milk powder can be used for feeding 2-3-month-old calves:
- milk powder mixed with whey;
- mixtures of serum with a reduced content of lactose and whey proteins;
- whey mixed with vegetable proteins.
The advantages of watering the ZMC are:
- a richer and richer composition of useful components than in natural milk;
- high calorie;
- there is no risk of infecting babies with the ills of a cow mother;
- agent cheaper than CM;
- simplifies the transition of calves to bulky feed.
As a rule, feeding calves of ZMCs starts from ten days of age at the rate of 1.1 kg of the substitute instead of 10 kg of whole milk. In this case, the milk powder is diluted with warm boiled water with a temperature of up to +60 degrees in the ratio: 1.1 kg of ZMC to 8-9 liters of water.Important! ZMTs can also be used for feeding a newborn calf, because it has a high nutritional value and contains all the substances necessary for the vital activity.
Which milk powder is better
One of the best milk replacer is dry milk, which is a ready-made mixture in the form of powder, produced taking into account the biological needs of the organism of animals. Manufacturers offer two types of product: whole and skimmed.
Their main differences are in the percentage of nutritional components, otherwise the two mixtures have a well-balanced composition, long shelf life and are able to completely replace natural milk.
Before buying dry matter, you should know that the composition of a quality product should include: whey, reverse, or buttermilk. It is also allowed the presence of vegetable and animal fats, cereals, premixes and a complex of vitamins E, B, A, D. At the same time the presence in the mixture of dairy products should be at least 70%.
Important! Cheap low-grade milk replacer contains soy flour in its composition.
Also, when choosing, one should pay attention to the shelf life and storage conditions. Since milk is presented as a dry powder, it should be stored in a dark, necessarily dry room, which is not exposed to direct sunlight. 
Among ZMTs, the products of such brands as:
- Europack;
- "Prodlak";
- Calvomilk;
- Goodmilk.
You will also be interested to learn how to raise a newborn calf, what should be the weight of a calf at birth and for months, what vitamins do calves need for rapid growth, how to grow bulls for fattening, and also find out how to call a calf.
How to breed dry milk
Depending on the age of the calf will vary its daily portion of the mixture.
When diluting dry powder, you should strictly follow the instructions:
- One part of the powder must be diluted with 8-9 parts of water. In this case, the water should be necessarily boiled, with a temperature not higher than +40 degrees;
- when preparing food it is necessary to take into account that in the already prepared mixture the proportion of dry powder must be at least 12.5%. For example, to get 100 kg of ready-made solution, you need to take 13 kg of the powder substance and mix with 87 liters of water;
- during preparation, water must be added to the powder in small portions and mixed thoroughly until a uniform consistency is formed, without lumps;
- the result should be a homogeneous, moderately thick mixture with a temperature of + 35 ... +38 degrees.
The milk replacer is given to calves only fresh, strictly adhering to the feeding and dosage regimen.Did you know? Experts, after carrying out a series of practical calculations, managed to find out that during the entire period of feeding, approximately 30–40 kg of dried milk was consumed per calf.
How to water
Calves from two weeks old require daily about 7 liters of CM or, respectively, 1 kg of dry. At the age of 5-6 weeks, its portion is reduced to 5 liters of CM and, accordingly, approximately 750 ml of milk replacer. After six weeks, hay is gradually introduced into animal feed, which makes it possible to reduce the consumption of mixtures.
After half a year it is allowed to use cheaper dry mixtures based on vegetable components as feed. During this period, the amount of substitute is adjusted to 6 liters per day.
The best option is to feed calves using a mixed scheme:
- 1st-7th day: milk - 3-6 liters, substitute - 0-7 liters;
- Day 8-14: the proportion of CM - 6 l, dry - 7 l;
- 15-35th day: the proportion of CM - 0 l, the substitute - up to 8 l.
At 11 months, the daily rate of milk powder is reduced and is 4-5 liters, and by the end of the year - 3-4 liters.
Despite the fact that for a newborn calf milk is the most important source of all useful components necessary for a small organism, an animal can sometimes refuse it. 
There may be several reasons for refusal, but all of them can be divided into two groups:
- non-hazardous to health, easily removable;
- dangerous to the condition of the animal, which require immediate professional assistance.
Consider non-dangerous causes of failure:
- poorly developed sucking reflex. Only a born calf can simply not understand where to find the udder and how to suck milk properly. In this case, the farmer should carefully direct the baby to the nipples and after a few feedings he will find the right place for him;
- taste. Sometimes it is necessary to "acquaint" the animal with the taste of milk. To do this, it is recommended to wet your finger in the colostrum and give the calf to lick it. Having tasted the product, he probably will not refuse him anymore.
However, there are a number of reasons for rejecting milk caused by various ailments.
You should pay close attention if the animal is observed:
- white diarrhea. This may indicate the development of infections caused by E. coli;
- pneumonia, the development of which may be due to poor conditions of detention;
- paratyphoidwhich provokes a paratyphoid bacillus;
- inflammation of the intestinal mucosa or stomachformed due to the consumption of contaminated or cold dairy product.
Any of the above reasons require immediate consultation with a veterinarian who can establish the correct diagnosis and prescribe the appropriate therapy.Did you know? Cows, including small calves, have an excellent memory. They remember well the face of their master and at his approach they happily run, moo and sometimes jump. There were cases when a cow recognized the owner even after a year of separation from him.
One of the most important roles in the life of calves is assigned to their food. Only with mother's milk or a full-fledged natural substitute you can grow truly healthy, strong offspring with excellent productive qualities.
However, when switching to the replaceable milk replacer, it is necessary to strictly follow the instructions for preparing the mixture, since it is its concentration that will be responsible for the value and usefulness of the product for the developing organism.
