Newborn Calf
The average calf weighs from 90 to 100 pounds at birth. Calves are usually fed milk or milk replacer starting at 3 days of age. They are also fed calf starter, a grain, beginning at 7 to 10 days of age. They are 4 to 8 weeks old when they are weaned from milk.
Six Month Old Heifer
The six month old heifer is usually fed silage, hay, and grain. These heifers may also graze (eat grass) in a pasture. Heifers weigh about 400 pounds at this age. Dairy farmers want their heifers to gain 1.6 to 1.8 pounds each day!
This heifer is called a yearling because she is over one year old. She weighs about 700 pounds and still has quite a bit of growing to do before she enters the milking herd in another year.
Yearling
Click HERE to learn more about the different stages of a cow!
Two Year Old
Dairy farmers refer to animals like this one as a "first-calf heifer." This cow is two years old and recently had a calf for the first time. She is now producing milk and will keep on growing for the next few years before she is fully mature. She weighs about 1,200 pounds.
Mature Cow
This adult dairy cow weighs over 1,500 pounds. She is five years old and just had her fourth calf. She can eat over 100 pounds of feed a day and can produce over 12 gallons of milk a day during the early part of her lactation. A mature cow produces about 25 percent more milk than a first calf heifer.