The mortality rate of preweaned dairy heifers is between 8 and 11 percent, and one-third of the deaths that occur within the first 3 weeks of life are due to the failure of passive transfer of immunity. For many years, we have known that high-quality colostrum in sufficient quantities is the critical factor to ensure adequate transfer of passive immunity in dairy calves. The esophageal feeder is becoming an increasingly popular method of providing colostrum to calves, and this article explains the advantages of this feeding method and how it should be used.