The objective of this study was to assess the impact of a molasses-based liquid feed (LF) supplement on the feed sorting behavior and growth of young, fattening cattle fed a high-grain diet. Twenty-four male Holstein calves, 90.2 ± 2.6 d old and weighing 137.5 ± 16.9 kg, split into groups of 4, were exposed to each of 2 treatments in a crossover design with 35-d treatment periods. Treatments were (1) control diet (76.0% high-moisture corn, 19.0% protein supplement, 5.0% alfalfa/grass haylage), and (2) LF diet (68.4% corn, 17.1% protein supplement; 9.0% molasses-based LF, and 4.5% alfalfa/grass haylage). Diets were designed to support 1.5 kg/d ADG. Data were collected for the final 3 wk of each treatment period. Feed intakes were recorded daily and calves were weighed 2×/wk. Feed samples of fresh feed and refusals were collected 3×/wk for particle size analysis. The particle size separator had 3 screens (19, 8, and 1.18 mm) and a bottom pan, resulting in 4 fractions (long, medium, short, fine). Sorting was calculated as the actual intake of each fraction expressed as a % of its predicted intake. Data were summarized by pen and week and analyzed in a repeated measures general linear mixed model. Calves tended (SE = 4.8; P = 0.08) to sort for long particles on the control diet (110.5%) and did not sort these particles on the LF diet (96.8%). Sorting for medium particles (102.6 ± 0.6%) was similar (P = 0.9) across diets. Calves sorted against short particles on the LF diet (97.5%; SE = 0.5; P = 0.04), but did not sort this fraction on the control diet (99.4%). Calves sorted against fine particles (79.3 ± 4.0%), to a similar extent (P = 0.2), on both diets. DMI was similar across diets (6.1 kg/d; SE = 0.1; P = 0.9), but day-to-day variability in DMI was higher (0.5 vs 0.4 kg/d; SE = 0.02; P = 0.04) when calves were fed the control compared with the LF diet. Calves on both diets had similar ADG (1.6 kg/d; SE = 0.04; P = 0.8) as well as within-pen variability in ADG (0.4 kg/d; SE = 0.05; P = 0.7). Feed conversion was also similar between control and LF diets (4.3 vs 3.9 kg DM/kg gain; SE = 0.3; P = 0.4). The results suggest that despite promoting more consistency in DMI, addition of a molasses-based LF to a high-grain, finishing calf diet did not affect calf growth.