Calf Behavior and Social Interactions Around Weaning

This week’s blog is a summary of a presentation given by Emily Miller-Cushon at the 41^st American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) Discover Conference.  Emily Miller-Cushon is an Associate Professor of Animal Sciences from the University of Florida. 

 

Calf behavior at weaning tells us that this is a stressful event. Select behaviors at weaning that indicate an animal is experiencing stress include:

• Increased vocalizations
• Decreased play
• Reduced lying time
• Non-nutritive sucking
• Increased respiratory and heart rate
• Going off feed

 

There are 3 main areas of consideration to address to reduce the amount of stress a calf experiences at weaning.   

1. Hunger: reducing milk at weaning increases intake of starter feeds.

• Gradually reduce the amount of milk offered over 2-3 steps down from maximum milk intake.
• Wean based off starter intake rather than age.

 

2. Suckling: We learn from humans that non-nutritive sucking has many benefits.

• Reduced restless behavior
• Increased sleep.
• Reduced heart rate
• Reduced pain
• Improved growth

 

Non-nutritive sucking in calves promotes the secretion of hormones related to digestion, and satiety. Provide appropriate opportunities for non-nutritive sucking by offering dummy teats, feeding hay, or other methods of comfort such as calf brushes. Providing an outlet will reduce cross-sucking when calves are housed as a group.

 

3. Social Transition: social contact facilitates solid feed intake and body weight gains.

• Calves learn more quickly as a group.
• Less vocalization at weaning
• Behavioral patterns developed early in life can affect success at weaning and during post weaning transitions.
• Early social housing has the greatest effect on decreasing stress at weaning.
• Calves reared in paired housing or groups can have more frequent meals and greater intakes post weaning.
• Calves reared in paired housing or groups so a greater preference for social feeding post weaning.

 

Behavioral changes at weaning are reflective of hunger, stress, and motivation to suckle. These changes are affected by milk allowance, feeding method, social environment, and other environmental elements. Consider timing events at weaning so that stressors can be separated to reduce behavioral responses.

 

Written by: Mariah Gull, M.S.