Welfare of Dairy Calves

Abstract

In this review, we address calf welfare from threeperspectives: improving health, reducing pain and distressand facilitating natural behavior. Four major areasof concern are reviewed: 1) calf morbidity and mortalityresulting especially from poor colostrum feeding practices;2) chronic calf hunger resulting from outdated feedingpractices; 3) social isolation from other calves thatcan be avoided by keeping calves in small, well-managedgroups; and 4) procedures such as dehorning that causeconsiderable pain that can be avoided using the righttechniques and analgesics, or tail docking that preventsthe animal from performing natural fly avoidance behaviors,and fails to provide clear advantages to either theanimal or the producer. In each example, we show howresearch can identify solutions that improve calf welfarewhile remaining practical for dairy producers.