The Welfare of Dairy Calves

Abstract

In this review, we address calf welfare from three
perspectives: improving health, reducing pain and distress
and facilitating natural behavior. Four major areas
of concern are reviewed: 1) calf morbidity and mortality
resulting especially from poor colostrum feeding practices;
2) chronic calf hunger resulting from outdated feeding
practices; 3) social isolation from other calves that
can be avoided by keeping calves in small, well-managed
groups; and 4) procedures such as dehorning that cause
considerable pain that can be avoided using the right
techniques and analgesics, or tail docking that prevents
the animal from performing natural fly avoidance behaviors,
and fails to provide clear advantages to either the
animal or the producer. In each example, we show how
research can identify solutions that improve calf welfare
while remaining practical for dairy producers.