A:   Distillers grains are an excellent feed for young calves as it is an excellent energy and protein source, and a high quality feed which is essential in young calf diets. The answer to your question is depends on your targeted average daily gain. I would not go over 1/3 of the diet on a dry matter basis being distillers. So if a calf is consuming 2.5% of its body weight on a dry matter basis, then total daily intake is 7.5 lb/day/calf and 1/3 of the total intake is 2.5 lb/hd/day/calf on a dy matter basis. If the dried distillers grains is 90% dry matter, then on an as-fed basis, dried distillers would be about 2.75 lb/hd/da. The amount of corn in the diet depends on the ADG desired and the quality of the forage being fed. At this level of distillers grains, the added fat to the diet is about 4% and I would want to go much higher. If sulfur level in the distillers is .90%, at this level of distillers grains intake, sulfur is .3% and the maximum tolerable level for cattle is .4%. So it would be important to get the sulfur analysis from the ethanol plant to know the sulfur content.

Distillers grains are high in phosphorus so calcium will need to be added to the diet. I do not like to get the Ca:P ratio below 1.4:1.

With any diet, make sure that you get the ingredients mixed uniformily and that there is plenty of bunk space do that all calves have an opportunity to consume their fair share.