Youngstock Specialist Henk Sijtsma strongly advocates offering calves water and pellets from day three. “Since rumen papillae begin developing from the second week of life, it is crucial that the calf starts eating pellets early. Even though feed intake is low in the first few weeks, research shows that starting in week one is beneficial. The sooner a calf begins eating pellets, the quicker it can process them and transition to roughage. This leads to more efficient forage digestion later on.”
Henk’s rule of thumb is that a calf should consume around 20 kg of pellets before introducing roughage. “A small amount of hay in the first few weeks provides volume in the rumen, but effective nutrient absorption from forage is only possible once the rumen papillae are well developed. If all goes well, a calf can consume 1 kg of pellets per day by week six. At that point, milk feeding can be gradually reduced while pellet intake increases to 2 kg per day. Once calves reach this level, weaning can begin.”
