🍼 Calf

A calf is the young of a cow. The young of yaks, zebu and some other cattle are called calves too. Right after birth, a calf needs colostrum, the mother's first thick milk. It is rich in antibodies, the proteins that protect against disease. A calf does not get antibodies from its mother before birth, so without colostrum it easily falls ill.

Timing is very important. The first portion of colostrum is best given in the first two hours of life. The later it is, the worse the gut absorbs antibodies, and after about a day it almost stops. The usual advice is to feed about one tenth of the calf's body weight. For a large calf, that is about 3.5–4 litres.

After that, the calf drinks ordinary milk or milk replacer, a dry mix that is stirred into water. On farms it is often fed from a bucket or a bottle with a teat. From the first weeks it is given starter feed and water. When the calf eats solid feed well, it is weaned off milk. On dairy farms this usually happens at 6–8 weeks.