Intensive obesity of calves

17.07.2026

Today in Kosovo we have many farms for fattening calves for slaughter, and their number is continuously increasing. The high price, low labor force, and economic viability make calf fattening a very important and profitable branch of livestock farming in Kosovo.

Besides requiring little commitment, completing a fattening cycle also requires much less feed than dairy cows and is quite profitable.

There are different forms of calf fattening based on feeding methods: intensive weight gain with concentrates, non-intensive weight gain with many bulky foods, and obesity on pastures, which lasts longer.

In this article, we will talk about intensive weight gain with more concentrate:

Recently, there has also been an increase in the types of these farms in Kosovo; this method is based on feeding calves with a smaller amount of bulky feed (hay, straw, silage) and more concentrates.

Here we are talking about a precise balancing of the food ration to achieve the desired daily increase.

This type of fattening includes calves weighing 180-220 kg (3-4 months) and leaving the farm weighing 450-500 kg (8-9 months); breeds such as Simmental, Brown Swiss, Montbiliard, as well as combined breeds, can be included, and an additional gain of 900–1300 gr/day can be achieved.

Ration:

- Pay special attentiontobalancing nutrients, especially:Energy,
- Minerals: Ca and P as well as Salt,
Close attention must also be paid to dry matter; requirements for dry matter depend on weight and daily gain. Dry matter is given at 1.5-3.0 kg/100 of body weight, bulky foods: 0.5-0.8 kg/100 kg of body weight, while concentrate is given as needed.

Bulls weighing 300 kg consume 2.1-2.2 kg, while those weighing 400 kg consume 1.7-1.9 kg LTH per 100 kg; thus, as weight increases, the need for dry matter decreases, meaning they do not need extra food even though they weigh more.

Below you will find a calculated portion for calves weighing 300 kg with a daily increase claimed to be 1200 gr/day.