milkfed

Milkfed is a descriptive term used to indicate that an individual or animal has been fed milk as its primary source of nutrition during early life. The form milk-fed (often hyphenated) is common in English text; the unhyphenated form milkfed also appears, though the hyphenated variant is more standard in formal usage.

In humans, the term may be used informally to describe infants who are nourished with human milk or infant formula, in contrast with those who receive other early-stage foods. Public health guidance emphasizes exclusive breastfeeding for about the first six months where possible, with continued breastfeeding alongside complementary foods thereafter.

In animals, milk-fed describes newborn livestock that receive milk or milk replacer rather than exclusively plant-based feeds. In dairy operations, calves are often bottle-fed milk or a milk replacer for several weeks. In the veal market, milk-fed veal refers to calves raised on milk through part of their development; this is contrasted with grain-fed or forage-fed veal, which are finished on solid feed earlier or later.