It can be expected that the
transition becomes more challenging at higher planes of
nutrition due to less solid feed intake; however, further
research is required to determine the optimal weaning
age when calves are fed higher quantities of milk under
diverse feeding schemes and systems. The objective
of this experiment was to characterize the effect of
weaning age on dietary intake, growth, digestive tract
development, and feeding behavior of the dairy calf.
We hypothesized that calves fed an elevated plane of
nutrition (1.2 kg of milk replacer/d) weaned at 8 versus
6 wk would have higher growth rates, more advanced
gastrointestinal development, and decreased behavioral
signs of hunger during the weaning period.