On many Indian farms, 30–40% of calves die before they are 3 months old, through neglect, too little milk, injuries and disease (TNAU). Colostrum in the first hours, clean milk in the right amount, a dry pen and timely deworming and vaccines help prevent many of these losses. This page covers cow and buffalo calves up to 6 months.
The first hour
NDDB calls the first hour after calving the most important hour in a calf's life (NDDB).
- Clear the mucus from the calf's nose and mouth so it can breathe.
- Let the mother lick the calf dry. If she does not, or the weather is cold, rub it dry with a clean cloth or gunny bag (TNAU).
- A healthy calf stands within about 15–20 minutes (NDDB guideline) and tries to suckle within an hour. Help a weak calf to the teat.
- Navel: NDDB advises cutting the cord about 2 inches (5 cm) from the belly with a clean blade, dipping it in the dip your vet advises, and dipping it again after 12 hours (NDDB). Unclean blades, dirty floors and other calves sucking the cord cause navel infection (ICAR-CIRB).
- The first dung, dark and sticky, should pass within 4–6 hours of the first colostrum. If it does not, call your vet (NDDB guideline).
Colostrum: how soon and how much
- Give about 2 litres of colostrum within 2 hours of birth, the sooner the better (within the first hour if you can), and 1–2 litres more, by the calf's size, within 12 hours (NDDB).
- Colostrum given after 24 hours may not protect the calf. Enough colostrum in time protects it from disease for its first 3 months.
- Many calves do not suckle enough, so hand-feed from a clean bottle or pail and you will know how much it drank.
- Buffalo calves: ICAR-CIRB advises about half a litre within 30 minutes of birth, without waiting for the afterbirth to come out (ICAR-CIRB).
- Keep giving colostrum for the first 3 days (TNAU).
- Extra colostrum keeps in a fridge, or frozen, for another calf (TNAU). Warm it gently before feeding, and never boil it (TNAU).
Underfed cows give weak, small calves: see Dairy cow feeding: fodder, concentrate, minerals and water for feeding in late pregnancy.
Milk by body weight
- Feed whole milk at about one-tenth (10%) of the calf's body weight a day. A newborn crossbred calf of 20–25 kg needs about 2–2.5 litres a day (TNAU).
- Do not go above 5–6 litres a day: too much milk causes diarrhoea (TNAU).
- Feed 3–4 times a day in the first week, then twice a day, at body warmth (about 39 °C), from a pail you wash after every feed (TNAU).
- Buffalo calves get one-eighth to one-tenth of their body weight in milk for the first 15 days (TNAU).
- Weigh the calf every week and give more milk as it grows.
Calf starter, green fodder and water
- Water: clean drinking water freely from day 3 (NDDB guideline).
- Calf starter, a concentrate made for calves: offer a handful after the milk from the first or second week, and good hay in a rack from the first week (TNAU).
- Mineral mixture: about 20–25 g a day (NDDB).
- Never give mouldy feed.
A guide for a cow calf, from TNAU's feeding schedule (TNAU); heavier calves need more:
| Age | Milk a day | Calf starter a day | Green fodder a day |
|---|---|---|---|
| First 4 weeks | about 2.5 litres | a little | a little |
| 1–3 months | about 3 litres, falling to 1.5 | 50 g, rising to 500 g | a little, about 1 kg by 3 months |
| 3–4 months | none | 500–750 g | 1–2 kg |
| 4–6 months | none | 750 g to 1.5 kg | 2–5 kg |
By 6 months a calf should eat at least 1.5 kg of calf starter a day (NDDB guideline).
Weaning
Weaning means stopping milk.
- Calves are usually weaned at about 3 months (TNAU); where the calf stays with its mother, NDDB says 3–4 months (NDDB guideline).
- Native cows and buffaloes are strongly attached to their calves: taking the calf away at birth can cut the mother's milk, dry her off early and upset her temper (TNAU).
- Stop milk only when the calf eats at least 0.4–0.5 kg of calf starter a day, and cut the milk down slowly, as in the table above.
How fast should calves grow?
Usual birth weights (NDDB guideline):
| Calf | Usual birth weight |
|---|---|
| Native cattle | about 20–30 kg |
| Crossbred | about 25–35 kg |
| Holstein Friesian | about 35–45 kg |
| Buffalo | about 30–40 kg |
NDDB's targets for daily gain before weaning: crossbred calves 0.7–1.0 kg, native and buffalo calves 0.5–0.8 kg. TNAU's plan for Murrah calves expects about 0.35 kg (TNAU). Weigh calves every week until 6 months (TNAU). If a calf stops gaining weight, ask your vet.
The calf pen
- Keep each young calf in its own pen for at least the first month, up to 3 months if you can, then 3–5 calves of about the same age together. Separate pens stop calves sucking each other's navels and passing on disease (TNAU).
- Give each calf about 20–25 sq ft under the roof until 3 months, and 25–30 sq ft at 3–6 months (TNAU).
- Never keep calves with the adult cows. Damp, badly drained floors bring breathing trouble.
- Use dry straw bedding and change it when wet. Keep cold draughts off calves, especially in their first 5 days, but let fresh air in (ICAR-CIRB).
- Keep buffalo calves out of ponds and wallows: they can catch infections there, or drown if an adult rolls onto them (ICAR-CIRB).
- If calves share a pen, keep them apart for about an hour after their milk, so they do not suck each other (NDDB).
See Dairy cow shed: space, floor, roof and cooling for building the pen.
Deworming, vaccines and the ear tag
- Deworming: in the first two weeks (buffalo calves earliest), then every month until 6 months, as your vet advises (NDDB, TNAU).
- Vaccines: none before 3 months, while colostrum still protects the calf (NDDB guideline). Then, as your vet advises (NDDB, DAHD):
| Disease | First vaccination | After that |
|---|---|---|
| Theileriosis (crossbred and exotic calves only) | From 3 months | Ask your vet whether a yearly booster is needed |
| Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) | 4–5 months, booster 4 weeks later | Every 6 months |
| Brucellosis (female calves only) | 4–8 months | Once in a lifetime |
| HS and BQ | From 6 months | Every year, before the rains |
- Ask your vet about lumpy skin disease in your area. See Cow and buffalo health: vaccine calendar and warning signs for the full plan.
- Ear tag: ask the vet or vaccinator to tag the calf in its first weeks. The 12-digit tag number records its vaccinations on the government's Bharat Pashudhan portal (PIB).
- Ask your vet whether horn buds or extra teats should be removed, and when.
Diarrhoea and pneumonia: act fast
Calf deaths are highest in the first month (TNAU).
- Diarrhoea: loose, watery dung. The calf loses water and salts fast and can die suddenly (NDDB). Call your vet the same day; the vet may advise an electrolyte drink on top of the normal feed.
- Dehydration check: pinch the skin on the neck. It should spring back at once. If it stays raised for more than 6 seconds, the eyes are sunken or the calf cannot stand, call the vet at once.
- Causes: too little colostrum, too much milk, dirty pails, and sudden cold, wet or windy weather (ICAR-CIRB). Keep a sick calf apart.
- Pneumonia: a runny nose and a dry, hacking cough, worse when the calf moves. Cold draughts, wet floors, poor air and crowding bring it on.
- In the first week, also call the vet for breathing trouble, dullness, poor suckling or fever (NDDB guideline).
- If several calves fall sick or die suddenly, tell your vet or call 1962 at once, and within 24 hours at most.
Feed every calf, males too
- Every calf needs colostrum and milk, males as well as females. A heifer calf you raise becomes your next cow; NDDB says raising your own calf is better than buying from an unknown source.
- A well-grown male calf can be sold to another farmer through bull ads. Post a free ad with photos and a video.
- For heifers and calves you sell, see selling animals.
- If you pour milk to an Aavin society, ask the secretary about Aavin's calf programmes for members; see Dairy farming loans, insurance and schemes in 2026.
Sell your cows and bulls on Kattutharai
Post a free ad with photos and a short video. Buyers near you call or chat with you directly. No commission.
Common mistakes
- Waiting hours for the first colostrum.
- Giving too much milk at once, or milk from a dirty pail.
- Leaving wet bedding, or a calf standing in a draught.
- Keeping young calves with adult cows, or letting buffalo calves into ponds.
- Feeding the female calves well and neglecting the males.
Frequently asked questions
How much colostrum should a newborn calf get?
About 2 litres within 2 hours of birth, the sooner the better, and 1–2 litres more within 12 hours. Hand-feed it, so you know how much the calf drank.
When can I stop giving milk?
At about 3 months, once the calf eats at least 0.4–0.5 kg of calf starter a day. Calves of native cows and buffaloes often stay on milk until 3–4 months.
My calf has diarrhoea. What should I do?
Call your vet the same day. Keep the calf warm, dry and apart from others, and keep up its normal feed unless the vet says otherwise. If its eyes are sunken or it cannot stand, call at once.
Next
Read Cow and buffalo health: vaccine calendar and warning signs for the full vaccination plan and Cow and buffalo breeding: heat signs, AI and calving for when a heifer is ready for her first insemination. To see calves and heifers near you, browse cows for sale and buffaloes for sale.