Effect of daily feeding frequency on performance of 2- to 4-month-old weaned dairy calves

Ninety-six Holstein calves, 48 per treatment (in 12 pens of 4 calves per pen), were fed the same diet either once or 3 times daily for 56 d. The textured diet (corn, oats, protein supplement pellet) was blended with 5% chopped grass hay. Calves fed once daily were fed at 1100 h. Calves fed 3 times daily were fed 25% of daily allotment at 0600 h, 25% of the daily allotment at 1100 h, and 50% of the daily allotment at 1600 h. Diets and water were fed free choice. The trial was conducted with 2 blocks of 56 d with 48 calves per block. The average ambient temperature was 17°C. Calves were initially 2 mo old and 78 ± 1.7 kg. Calves were weighed, scored for body condition, and hip widths were measured initially and at 28 and 56 d. Body condition score was a 5-point system (1 being thin and 5 being obese). The 2 treatments were analyzed as a randomized complete block design with repeated measurements over time. Levene's test was used to test variability of intake and ADG. Pen was the experimental unit. No measurements differed (P > 0.05) between treatments. Body weight, ADG, DMI, and feed efficiency averaged 108 ± 2.1 kg, 1.06 ± 0.026 kg/d, 2.96 ± 0.049% of BW, and 0.33 ± 0.011 G:F, respectively. Feeding once daily is adequate for dairy calves between 2 and 4 mo of age.