ArticlePDF Available

Abstract and Figures

Here we report dairy calf management practices used by 242 smallholder family farmers in the South of Brazil. Data were collected via a semi-structured questionnaire with farmers, inspection of the production environment and an in-depth interview with a sample of 26 farmers. Herds had an average of 22.3 lactating cows and an average milk production of 12.7 L/cow/day. Calves were dehorned in 98% of the farms, with a hot iron in 95%. Male calves were castrated in 71% of the farms; methods were surgery (68%), emasculator (29%), or rubber rings (3%). No pain control was used for these interventions. In 51% of the farms all newborn male calves were reared, sold or donated to others; in 35% all newborn males were killed on the farm. Calves were separated from the dam up to 12 h after birth in 78% of the farms, and left to nurse colostrum from the dam without intervention in 55% of the farms. The typical amount of milk fed to calves was 4 L/day until a median age of 75 days. In 40% of the farms milk was provided in a bucket, in 49% with bottles, and in 11% calves suckled from a cow. Solid feeding in the milk-feeding period started at a median age of 10 days. Calves were housed individually in 70% of the farms; in 81% of the farms calves were housed in indoor pens, in 6% in outdoor hutches and in 13% they were kept on pasture. Diarrhoea was reported as the main cause of calf mortality in 71% of the farms. Farmers kept no records of calf disease, mortality, or use of medicines. Changing the scenario identified in this survey is essential to support the sustainable development of dairy production, an activity of great economic and social relevance for the region.
Content may be subject to copyright.
A preview of the PDF is not available
... As indicated by Frijters et al. [17], the causes of reduced fertility in cows with which sexed semen is used are due to lower sperm counts and sperm damage in the sexed semen Diskin et al. [18] and O'Callaghan et al. [19] pointed out that all focus only on the reproductive problems of cows and neglect the contribution of males to the fertilization process, and further remarked the need for male selection to improve ejaculate quality and fattening to reach high weight values, which, as indicated by Solarczyk et al. [24] and Sakowski et al. [25], is not the best solution due to the resulting rather low quality meat. In dairy herds, regardless of sex, the most common practice is to wean calves from their mothers almost immediately [45], which can be for various reasons: from a desire to better care for the calf, including the administration of the right amount and the best quality colostrum (i.e., to ensure adequate transfer of passive immunity); to reduce the stress associated with weaning calves from their mothers; to reduce the incidence of disease entities; and-what is in truth the most important factor-to be able to reduce the rearing costs associated with administering milk replacers and the sale of whole milk from cows, as well as the comfort to take care of animal handlers [32]. In the case of male calves, very often breeders do not pay attention to the quality of colostrum or the timing of its administration, due to which their passive immunity is not at a high level [46,47]. ...
... According to Whalin et al. [73], the actions of licking and suckling other individuals and objects is probably related not only to the desire to retrieve food and satisfy the natural need to suckle, but may also be related to the need for skin and head hair cleaning in calves, which is performed by cows, as well as the formation of social bonds between individuals. As indicated by several authors [32,33,40,41,73] these actions are not only related to the presence of their mothers but are also dependent on the age at which the calves are weaned. ...
... As indicated by Frijters et al. [17], the causes of reduced fertility in cows with which sexed semen is used are due to lower sperm counts and sperm damage in the sexed semen Diskin et al. [18] and O'Callaghan et al. [19] pointed out that all focus only on the reproductive problems of cows and neglect the contribution of males to the fertilization process, and further remarked the need for male selection to improve ejaculate quality and fattening to reach high weight values, which, as indicated by Solarczyk et al. [24] and Sakowski et al. [25], is not the best solution due to the resulting rather low quality meat. In dairy herds, regardless of sex, the most common practice is to wean calves from their mothers almost immediately [45], which can be for various reasons: from a desire to better care for the calf, including the administration of the right amount and the best quality colostrum (i.e., to ensure adequate transfer of passive immunity); to reduce the stress associated with weaning calves from their mothers; to reduce the incidence of disease entities; and-what is in truth the most important factor-to be able to reduce the rearing costs associated with administering milk replacers and the sale of whole milk from cows, as well as the comfort to take care of animal handlers [32]. In the case of male calves, very often breeders do not pay attention to the quality of colostrum or the timing of its administration, due to which their passive immunity is not at a high level [46,47]. ...
... According to Whalin et al. [73], the actions of licking and suckling other individuals and objects is probably related not only to the desire to retrieve food and satisfy the natural need to suckle, but may also be related to the need for skin and head hair cleaning in calves, which is performed by cows, as well as the formation of social bonds between individuals. As indicated by several authors [32,33,40,41,73] these actions are not only related to the presence of their mothers but are also dependent on the age at which the calves are weaned. ...
... As indicated by Frijters et al. [17], the causes of reduced fertility in cows with which sexed semen is used are due to lower sperm counts and sperm damage in the sexed semen Diskin et al. [18] and O'Callaghan et al. [19] pointed out that all focus only on the reproductive problems of cows and neglect the contribution of males to the fertilization process, and further remarked the need for male selection to improve ejaculate quality and fattening to reach high weight values, which, as indicated by Solarczyk et al. [24] and Sakowski et al. [25], is not the best solution due to the resulting rather low quality meat. In dairy herds, regardless of sex, the most common practice is to wean calves from their mothers almost immediately [45], which can be for various reasons: from a desire to better care for the calf, including the administration of the right amount and the best quality colostrum (i.e., to ensure adequate transfer of passive immunity); to reduce the stress associated with weaning calves from their mothers; to reduce the incidence of disease entities; and-what is in truth the most important factor-to be able to reduce the rearing costs associated with administering milk replacers and the sale of whole milk from cows, as well as the comfort to take care of animal handlers [32]. In the case of male calves, very often breeders do not pay attention to the quality of colostrum or the timing of its administration, due to which their passive immunity is not at a high level [46,47]. ...
... According to Whalin et al. [73], the actions of licking and suckling other individuals and objects is probably related not only to the desire to retrieve food and satisfy the natural need to suckle, but may also be related to the need for skin and head hair cleaning in calves, which is performed by cows, as well as the formation of social bonds between individuals. As indicated by several authors [32,33,40,41,73] these actions are not only related to the presence of their mothers but are also dependent on the age at which the calves are weaned. ...
Article
Full-text available
This study assessed the impact of different calf rearing systems on calf health, behavior, meat quality, and oxidative stability. The study involved two groups of bull calves: conventionally penned calves (control, fed with use of automatic feeders) and calves reared alongside foster cows (experimental). The presence of foster cows was found to have a significant positive influence on calf health. Calves raised with foster cows experienced lower rates of diarrhea, delayed instances of coughing, and a reduced occurrence of rhinitis compared to conventionally reared calves. Behavioral observations revealed differences in sucking and licking behaviors between the two groups. Calves with foster cows displayed more consistent patterns of these behaviors, while conventionally reared calves exhibited greater variability. Additionally, the experimental group consistently achieved higher daily weight gains, suggesting the potential for larger and more valuable carcasses at slaughter. Importantly, there were no significant differences in the quality of veal between the two rearing groups. This included fatty acid composition, color attributes, and myoglobin levels, indicating consistent meat quality. In summary, this research highlights the advantages of rearing systems that prioritize calf health and behavior, emphasizing maternal care and natural behaviors. Such systems hold promise for improving calf welfare and enhancing the sustainability of the meat production industry. The integration of foster cows into dairy farming practices emerges as a practical and effective approach, particularly for the rearing of bull calves.
... Calves that are separated from the dam and raised separately from adult animals in individual pens or hutches often have limited social interaction and exercise opportunities compared with those raised in groups under natural or semi-natural conditions (Cantor et al., 2019). In commercial systems, most calves are reared individually until weaning [e.g., Canada (Vasseur et al., 2010), Brazil (Hötzel et al., 2014), United States (USDA, 2014)], limiting tactile contact with other calves to prevent pathogen transmission (McGuirk, 2008). This lack of contact between calves restricts the use of social models in learning appropriate feeding and social behaviors in groups. ...
Article
Full-text available
Understanding and assessing dairy cattle behavior is critical for developing sustainable breeding programs and management practices. The behavior of individual animals can provide valuable information on their health and welfare status, improve reproductive management, and predict efficiency traits such as feed efficiency and milking efficiency. Routine genetic evaluations of animal behavior traits can contribute to optimizing breeding and management strategies for dairy cattle but require the identification of traits that capture the most important biological processes involved in behavioral responses. These traits should be heritable, repeatable, and measured in non-invasive and cost-effective ways in many individuals from the breeding populations or related reference populations. While behavior traits are heritable in dairy cattle populations, they are highly polygenic, with no known major genes influencing their phenotypic expression. Genetically selecting dairy cattle based on their behavior can be advantageous because of their relationship with other key traits such as animal health, welfare, and productive efficiency, as well as animal and handlers' safety. Trait definition and longitudinal data collection are still key challenges for breeding for behavioral responses in dairy cattle. However, the more recent developments and adoption of precision technologies in dairy farms provide avenues for more objective phenotyping and genetic selection of behavior traits. Furthermore , there is still a need to standardize phenotyping protocols for existing traits and develop guidelines for recording novel behavioral traits and integrating multiple data sources. This review gives an overview of the most common indicators of dairy cattle behavior, summarizes the main methods used for analyzing animal behavior in commercial settings, describes the genetic and genomic background of previously defined behavioral traits, and discusses strategies for breeding and improving behavior traits coupled with future opportunities for genetic selection for improved behavioral responses.
... Moreover, in group rearing systems with automatic feeders, milk intake is increased and more frequent with greater control over the intake amounts (Lopes et al., 2019). Furthermore, social isolation can have a negative impact on social and feeding behaviors as well as on cognitive development (Hötzel et al., 2014). ...
Article
Full-text available
The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of diseases as well as metabolic and zootechnical parameters in Holstein calves maintained in individual or collective housing systems in the extreme south of Brazil. One hundred calves were included immediately after birth and monitored for 90 days. Animals were randomly divided into two groups: individual stalls group (ISG; n=50) and collective stalls group (CSG; n=50). ISG calves were individually housed in 1.2m² wood pens and received 6 L of milk/day and concentrate food and water ad libitum for 90 days. Calves in the CSG were housed in groups of up to 25 animals, in a total of two stalls containing one animal per 3 m2. CSG calves received up to 8 L of milk/day at 0-15 days, milk ad libitum at 15-40 days, 7.2 L of milk. /day at 40-60 days, and gradual weaning at 60-90 days with concentrate food and water ad libitum, using an automatic feeder. In both groups, Zootechnical parameters (weight, thoracic perimeter, height at the withers, and rump width) were measured weekly during the first 28 days and once every 15 days until weaning. Blood samples were retrieved weekly during the first 28 days. Metabolic parameters evaluated in this study were total calcium, beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA), free fatty acids (FFA), and glucose. The animals were monitored daily for clinical signs of diseases diarrhea and respiratory symptoms. General morbidity was higher in CSG 92% compared to ISG 74% (p<0.05). We observed increased diarrhea-related morbidity and a higher rate of recurrence in the ISG (50% and 60%, respectively; p<0.05) compared to those in the CSG (both 20%, p<0.05 between groups). The morbidity due to bronchopneumonia was higher in the CSG (92%) than in the ISG (74%, p<0.05). Recurrence of bronchopneumonia and mortality were similar between groups (p>0.05). Glucose, FFA, and BHBA concentrations were higher in the ISG (p<0.05) and total calcium higher in CSG (p<0.05). Finally, the weight and thoracic perimeter were higher in the CSG than those in the ISG, whereas the height and, rump width, at the withers was higher in the ISG than that in the CSG (p<0.05). In conclusion, animals raised in a collective system with automatic feeders exhibited less diarrhea and increased serum calcium as well as improved zootechnical development, although they had a higher incidence of bronchopneumonia.
... В някои страни мъжките телета се използват за производство на телешко месо, но получаването на качествена продукция и прираста остават незадоволителни. Проучване на 242 ферми в Бразилия съобщава, че 35% от фермите са предпочели евтаназия на мъжките приплоди непосредствено след раждането [25]. ...
Article
The use of sexed semen in cattle breeding becomes increasingly important in worldwide. Up to date sexing technologies provide an ability to sort spermatozoa with acceptable sperm quality and ensure production of animals of the desired sex. Motivation for use of sexed semen can be the need for rapid renewal of the herd, the desire to increase the genetic level, the requirements for animal welfare and the reduction of costs for maintaining ecological sustainability. Many factors at different levels such as selection of female animals for insemination and type of sexed semen, technological features of the farm and reproductive management affect the conception rate. The current literature analysis shows that the introduction of artificial insemination with sexed semen is an effective tool to accelerate genetic progress. An additional benefit is improvement of the animal welfare by reducing difficult births and low production of the undesired male offspring. Optimization of the animal number in the herds leads to reduction of the greenhouse gases and the waste products from animal husbandry. The pregnancy rate after artificial insemination with sex-sorted sperm is variable and different reasons can lead to unsatisfactory results. This requires a preliminary analysis of their effects and taking measures to minimize their negative impact on the reproductive process. Achievement of economic profitability is related to choosing an appropriate strategy for use of sexed semen, taking into account the specific conditions in the farm. The presented information can be useful in the preparation of various policies for optimization of the reproductive process and development of sustainable cattle breeding in Bulgaria.
... There is variation across studies in the percentage of calves reported to be disbudded before 28 days of age. For example, Stanek et al. (2018) reported that 63.3% of Czech calves were disbudded which is greater than those reported in other studies: 21% in Canada (Misch et al. 2007), 25.7% in the US (Fulwider et al. 2008), 17% in southern Brazil (Hotzel et al. 2014) and lower than those reported (95%) in Finland (Hokkanen et al. 2015). ...
Article
Full-text available
Disbudding, removal of the horn buds, is performed for economic and practical reasons: to prevent bullying and injury to other animals (with implications for productivity and carcass damage, respectively) and human safety during handling. Mitigation of pain associated with the disbudding of calves is necessary to limit the pain-stress response that induces altered behavioural and physiologic states. The most common recommendation in Animal Welfare Guidelines is to disbud calves before they attain 2 months of age. From birth to 2 months of age the horn bud is not attached to the skull, which makes the removal of the horn bud and adjacent cells easier. The objectives of this review are to describe (1) the different methods of disbudding, (2) the pain responses associated with each of those methods and (3) how age and pain mitigation strategies affect those responses.
... Separating dairy cows from their calves immediately or shortly after birth is a common practice in dairy farming (Hötzel et al., 2014;Pempek et al., 2017;Abuelo et al., 2019). For many decades, most farmers have not questioned the practice. ...
Article
Full-text available
In recent years, the common dairy farming practice of early separation of dam and calf has received increased attention. Our aim was to explore how Norwegian dairy farmers with cow-calf contact (CCC) systems apply these systems in practice, and how they experience and perceive the interrelationships between cows and calves and humans within these systems. We conducted in-depth interviews with 17 farmers from 12 dairy farms and analyzed responses inductively, inspired by the grounded theory approach. The farmers in our study practiced their CCC systems differently from each other and had varying as well as common perceptions about these systems. Calves' intake of colostrum was not seen as a challenge, regardless of practice. The farmers generally perceived that any aggression shown by cows toward humans was merely an exhibition of cows' natural protective instinct. However, when the farmers had good relationships with their cows and the cows felt safe around them, the farmers could handle the calves and build good relationships with them as well. The farmers experienced the calves learning a lot from their dams. Most of the farmers' dairy housing systems were not adapted for CCC, and CCC systems could require modification in terms of placing greater emphasis on observing the animals and making adjustments in the barn and around milking. Some thought having CCC on pasture was the best and most natural, while others were reluctant to have CCC on pasture. The farmers encountered some challenges with stressed animals after later separation, but several had found methods to minimize stress. Generally, they had different opinions about workload, but agreed they spent less time on calf feeding. We found that these farmers were thriving with their CCC systems; they all described positive emotions around seeing cows and their calves together. Animal welfare and natural behavior were important to the farmers.
Chapter
Dairy cows and their calves face several challenges around parturition and in the early life of the calf that impact their welfare. There is an increasing public awareness of some of these challenges, including those that begin before birth as the cow prepares for labour and continue until the calf is weaned from milk. Researchers have recognised that these challenges exist and have begun to define the key animal welfare issues for the cow and calf during this time period. In this chapter, we review the experience of the cow around the time of calving, the effect of prolonged maternal contact on the dam and her calf, and social housing for young calves. Next, we discuss the welfare of youngstock post-weaning and of growing cattle, although this topic has received less research attention. We end the chapter with a discussion about advances and future challenges in animal welfare for the peri-parturient cow and her calf, as well as the growing animal.
Article
Full-text available
This research was conducted out to determine the knowledge, ideas and behaviors related to the managerial practices of calf’s survival in dairy cattle farms in Hendek district of Sakarya province, and to analyze the status of the existing farms. In the research, were identified farms which are registered to Turkvet and e-breeding system database having 10 cattle and more dairy cattle in Hendek district. Random sampling method was used to determine the sample size. The identified farms are divided into 5 ranks which are 10-20 heads, 21-30 heads, 31-40 heads, 41-50 heads and over 50 heads of cattle. In this context, after obtaining general data about the farms, questions related to the main topics about the care and management of calves such as colostrum use, feeding practices, health protection and housing were evaluated. Milk-fed to calves, marketed milk, marketed + waste milk, and marketed milk + milk replacer are given in three ways. In large farms, feeding is done more in this way, taking into account that more milk that can be considered waste milk and the number of calves are taken into account (P
Article
Full-text available
The objective was to determine the influence of plane of milk-replacer (MR) nutrition on the performance of Holstein and Jersey calves. Forty-two calves (initial BW of 39.3 ± 5.55 kg and 25.5 ± 4.24 kg for Holstein and Jersey, respectively) were used in a completely randomized design with 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments; calves on a lower plane of nutrition were fed 454 g/d of a 20% CP and 20% fat MR. Holstein calves on the higher plane of nutrition were fed 810 and 1,180 g/d for wk 1 and wk 2 to 6, respectively, of a 28% CP and 20% fat MR. Jersey calves on the higher plane of nutrition were fed 568 and 680 g/d for wk 1 and wk 2 to 6, respectively, of a 28% CP and 25% fat MR. Intake of ME and CP per kilogram of metabolic BW (BW0.75) and ADG were greater for calves on the high plane of nutrition than for those on the low plane of nutrition during the preweaning period. Calves fed a high plane of nutrition, irrespective of breed, and Holstein calves required less (P < 0.05) ME for BW gain. Holstein and Jersey calves on the higher plane of nutrition were also more efficient in utilization of CP for BW gain during the preweaning period; however, Holstein and Jersey calves on the low plane of nutrition were more efficient during the postweaning period. Data indicate that both Holstein and Jersey calves fed higher planes of MR nutrition were more efficient during the preweaning period.
Article
Full-text available
Dairy calves are generally separated from their dam at birth. They express non-nutritive oral activities such as licking or sucking other calves or objects, nibbling, or tongue-playing, which have been related to the absence of sucking a teat and ingestive chewing. We hypothesized that the dam, by its presence, can help focus the oral behaviour of calves towards nutritive activities and thereby limit the development of non-nutritive oral activities. To test this hypothesis, we compared calves suckled by their dam against calves separated from their dam at birth and fed milk through a teat (automatic milk feeder). Cow and calf behaviour was observed before weaning and after weaning at 10 wk of age. Before weaning, the suckled calves were less active than the artificially fed calves. After weaning, suckled calves tended to spend less time on non-nutritive oral activities than non-suckled calves. Before weaning, suckling cows and non-suckling cows showed similar behaviour. Both cows and calves reacted to weaning: cows showed vocalization and agitation, and calves showed increased blood cortisol levels. We conclude that keeping dairy calves with their dam for 1 0 wk can be beneficial to calves, although weaning induces a degree of stress.
Chapter
Full-text available
5.1 Abstract Remarkable advances in the understanding of animal sentience, and in the development and validation of scientifi c methods to assess farm animal welfare , have been achieved in the past 50 years. Nonetheless, farm animal welfare improvements have been limited by interactions between economic, political, technical and biological factors. Improving farm animal welfare with moderate changes in the current production systems may become even harder as we are faced with the demand to reduce the environmental impact of livestock production and produce food for a growing, richer human population. 'Sustainable intensifi cation' of production, which is perceived by many as the best path to reverse the environmental impacts of agriculture, is likely to exacerbate many common welfare problems. A shift to large-scale, confi ned production of monogastrics of highly productive genotypes may help improve feed effi ciency and reduce production costs associated with energy and waste, but this shift may also cause welfare problems. Animal welfare is an important ethical social concern and needs to be integrated into the concept of sustainable agriculture. The push for further intensifi cation ignores the fact that the public tends to reject industrial animal production systems. To achieve significant improvements in farm animal welfare, besides proposing technical innovations we need to envisage new political and economic arrangements that permit effi cient and ethical animal production systems to fl ourish.
Article
Full-text available
Over the last decade many emerging economies, and in particular Brazil, have established themselves as major players in global food animal production. Within these countries much of the increase in food animal production has been achieved by the adoption of intensive housing systems similar to those found in most industrialized countries. However, it is now well established that many of these systems are associated with numerous welfare problems, particularly with respect to restriction of movement. Previous work has shown that people living in industrialized’ countries broadly support farm animal welfare reform, and that similar criticisms may be voiced from citizens living in developing countries as they become more aware of confinement housing and potentially contentious husbandry practices. Given the developments that have taken place in other countries, there are lessons that could be learned and applied by emerging economies that would undoubtedly ease or prevent the challenges observed in other countries. Thus, we briefly describe the vehicles used by different countries when addressing animal welfare that may provide insights into identifying possible challenges and potential solutions for Brazil and other emerging economies. Where available we review the associated science and identify gaps where more research is needed. We conclude by providing a possible roadmap on how farm animal welfare reform may be addressed in emerging countries. Solutions will need to be tailored, culturally relevant, and science must play a key role in supporting animal welfare reform in the emerging countries.
Article
Full-text available
High calf mortality is an important factor of economic loss in dairy production. At present, limited data are available on calf rearing practices and calf mortality in Italian dairy farming. The aim of the study was to identify the most important management risk factors for preweaning calf mortality in Italian dairy farms. A group of 28 intensive dairy farms from Lombardy (Italy) were visited to collect information about calf management and calf mortality. Female calf mortality showed high variability among herds and in many cases the percentage of calves dead within the preweaning period was very high. The average perinatal mortality (during calving and within 24 h after birth) was 8.82% of total females born with a maximum value of 30.8%, whereas average early mortality (from 24 h to weaning) was 8.9 +/- 7.9%, with a maximum value of 28%. The herd size did not significantly affect calf mortality although the number of calves cared per operator in the big farms was higher than in the small ones. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that feeding first colostrum meal beyond three hours after birth, group housing before 30 d of age and feeding daily less than 5 L of milk or milk replacer per calf multiply the risk to have early mortality higher than 10%. The study showed that early calf mortality could be strongly reduced by paying more attention to a very limited number of operations.
Article
Full-text available
• Economic development and the evolution of societal ethical principles are leading consumer demands and pressuring animal agriculture sectors to alter some production practices. This is an undergoing event in developed countries, and is relevant for the future, especially in emerging economies where there is an increasingly fast expansion of intensive confined swine and poultry production. This scenario is foreseen, in the authors' opinions, as a major challenge for the pro-animal welfare public and the scientific community that has a critical role in addressing concerns with impartial, validated, and objective science. • The current climate towards improving animal welfare has favored diffusion of technologies that seek to minimize suffering of animals, such as immune-castrations in pigs, which is a task best accomplished by well informed and specialized farm animal welfare professionals. Increasing concern with animal welfare has also resulted in gradual banning of certain husbandry practices and housing in many industrialized countries; changes in attitudes and practices have been slower in developing countries, some of which are major meat exporters. • Legislative actions and voluntary initiatives across the European Union and Unites States endorse forthcoming rearing practices favoring animal welfare, especially in the pig and poultry industries, and have been a source of international trade controversy among animal protection organizations, the World Trade Organization, and global market players.
Article
Full-text available
The mortality and morbidity of unweaned dairy calves and management practices that may impair calf health and welfare were surveyed on 115 farms in Canada (Quebec) and 60 farms in Central Europe (Austria and Germany) to examine whether outcome-based measures of calf health could be used to identify farms that use management practices that place calf health at risk. Quebec herds had higher juvenile mortality incidence than those in Central Europe. Juvenile mortality was poorly estimated by producers. Low levels of mortality did not include low levels of morbidity in the same herds. Health status was not necessarily associated with management practices generally recommended for health and welfare. Many management practices that may impair calf health and welfare were found in Quebec while only some were found in Central Europe; these were related to calving management and care of the newborn, colostrum management, calf-dam separation, calf feeding, weaning and calf housing. Inadequate recording of calf morbidity and mortality can be a problem in using recorded measures to assess the level of calf health on a farm. The recorded mortality and morbidity do not necessarily show the extent that producers use management practices that pose a risk to calf health.
Article
Most dairy producers believe that early separation of the cow and calf is necessary for reproductive efficiency, to minimise health problems and to improve the ease of milking. In addition, many consider that it is less distressing for both animals if separation occurs earlier rather than later. In this paper we review the welfare and production effects of early separation on the cow and calf. Research has shown that the cow's immediate behavioural response to separation from the calf increases with increased contact with the calf, but other work has shown that cow health and productivity are positively affected by the presence of the calf. Calf response to separation also increases when the calf spends more time with the cow, but there are long-term benefits of prolonged contact in terms of sociality, fearfulness and future maternal behaviour. Health, weight gain and future productivity are also improved when the calf is allowed to spend more time with the cow.