In the dairy world, and those are dairy calves raised in a pen, we offer a handful of 22% protein calf starter starting at day 3, also fresh clean water daily, along with their 2 bottles of milk or milk replacer. You give a handful of fresh starter so they go for it after finishing the bottle while still in a feeding frenzy. You want the starter to be fresh and attractive. Gradually they eat more and more until they are up to a couple of lbs of 22% calf starter a day. A small amount of hay is offered after the first month because their rumen is not developed before that and if they eat a lot of roughage they can't digest and they can get sick. Gradually the milk is weaned off them and they eat more feed. Then people change to a 20% protein calf grower pellet then to stocker grower a 14% protein along with free choice grass hay, these feeds are generally fed at 0.5 to 1.5% of their weight. I feed 1% of their weight in grain and use a weight tape for dairy calves to measure as they grow. This is so they have the protein for rapid growth. If they don't get that protein and mostly roughage they develop pot bellies and don't grow well. I use Purina products. When the spring grass comes on, at 7 or 8 months turn them out on nothing but pasture and they grow like weeds at no cost.
