Feeding Tips from Agriculture Canada: EVALUATING MILK REPLACERS FOR CALVES 

This is especially true for the first three weeks of the life of the calf. In selecting a milk replacer, both quality and quantity of nutrients must be evaluated. Keep the following in mind when buying a milk replacer.

ENERGY - is indicated by the level of fat. Fat provides more energy per gram than any other nutrient. The fat content of dry whole milk is 30%. The fat content of dry milk replacers should be between 10-25%. Calves of less than two weeks do not digest non-milk fats nearly as well as milk source fats. Generally speaking, milk replacers high in milk fat lower the risk of diarrhea. A fat content of 30% or greater is unacceptable.

Fructose (citrus sugar), sucrose (table sugar), maltose (corn syrup, molasses), and starch (cereal grain, molasses) should be avoided since they cannot be digested and will cause diarrhea. One cupful of table sugar fed twice a day will cause severe fatal diarrhea within a few days.

PROTEIN - milk replacers should contain 20-22% protein. Milk replacers for calves less than 3 weeks of age should be based on milk proteins. Non-milk sources can result in a decrease in available protein to the calf, and can potentially result in diarrhea. Calves over 3 weeks are better able to use non-milk proteins.

FIBRE - crude fibre is used as a rough index of the amount of milk replacer of plant origin, because more fibre would be added as the percent of plant protein increases. Milk replacer for calves under 3 weeks should contain less than 0.5% crude fibre.

SUMMARY - As a general guideline, a milk replacer should contain 20-22% crude protein, 10-25% crude fat, no more than 0.3% crude fibre and less than 12% ash. At least two more general statements should be added: 1) Most broad generalizations regarding milk replacers should be applied cautiously, and, 2) If young calves (less than 3 weeks) are to be fed milk substitutes, the products should be of high quality. Our primary goal in feeding baby calves should be health oriented - to not cause diarrhea through diet. This means using milk source ingredients in milk substitutes fed to young calves. The preponderance of data backs up this statement. Milk replacers containing non-milk sources of major nutrients are better fed to older calves.

Article Written by:

Karen Dupchak, Animal Nutritionist, Animal Industry Branch, Manitoba Agriculture, (204) 945-7668

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