Morbidity, mortality, and antimicrobial use and resistance are major concerns in the rearing of male dairy calves, so information to support disease prevention is important. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to describe management practices associated with the care of male calves during their first days of life on Canadian dairy farms. A survey completed by dairy producers across Canada from March 1 to April 30, 2015. The survey had 192 questions covering producer background, farm characteristics, biosecurity practices, disease prevalence, calf health, animal welfare, lameness, milking hygiene, reproduction and internet/social media use. A total of 1,025 surveys were completed online, by telephone, or by mail, representing 9% of all dairy farms in Canada. Five percent of respondents (n = 49) answered that they had euthanized at least one male calf at birth in the previous year and blunt force trauma was used commonly in these cases. The majority of respondents always fed colostrum to male calves, however 9% (n = 80) did not always feed colostrum. Nearly 40% (n = 418) of respondents reported always dipping the navels of male calves, 12% (n = 123) vaccinated male calves and 17% (n = 180) did not provide the same quantity of feed to male calves as heifer calves. The care of male calves differed greatly depending on geographical region of the respondents. However, some regional effects may be confounded by economic conditions and the logistics of marketing male dairy calves in different parts of the country. Herd size was another important variable, with larger herd size being associated with using an appropriate method of euthanasia at birth, but with larger farms also being less likely to always feed colostrum to their male calves, or feed them the same as female calves. Familiarity with the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Dairy Cattle by respondents was associated with better care of male calves on dairy farms. The results of this survey suggest that there is variable treatment of male dairy calves on Canadian dairy farms and that there are opportunities to improve health management of male calves on the farms of origin.