A method of outdoor housing dairy calves in pairs using individual calf hutches

Wormsbecher, L.; Bergeron, Renée; Haley, Derek B.; Passillé, A.M. de; Rushen, J.; Vasseur, E.

doi:10.3168/jds.2017-12559

Cited by 29 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…In routine events are consistent, predictable, and not very diversified. While providing outdoor access permits animals to express greater socialization and natural behavior (21,22), it also means exposing them to initially unknown and diverse stimuli that could heed unforeseeable responses. The provisioning of various stimuli and so, enrichment, allows cows to develop a range of behaviors and reactions, and therefore, promotes the animal's capacities of adaptation (18).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Providing an Outdoor Exercise Area Affects Tie-Stall Cow Reactivity and Human-Cow Relations

Aigueperse

Vasseur

2021

Front. Vet. Sci.

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Confinement and restriction of movement are a reality for most dairy cows. Providing outdoor access is one method to increase movement opportunities. However, leading cows to an outdoor exercise area increases their exposure to manipulations different from those of an indoor housing system. These situations have the potential to induce fear reactions, which can lead to injuries for the cow and danger or economic losses for the farmer. Our aim was to evaluate the development of the human-cow relationship and general reactivity of cows after a 12-week period of outdoor access provision in winter, summer and fall. A total of 16 cows in the winter, 16 in the summer, and 15 in the fall were enrolled in the study and either allocated to the treatment (Out) or stayed in the tiestall (NonOut). A human reactivity test and suddenness test were performed before and after the 12-week treatment period. In winter and to a lesser extent in fall, Out cows had a better human reaction score compared to NonOut cows, suggesting that cows with outdoor access during the winter associated human approaches with positive events. Conversely, no difference in the human reaction score was found between treatments during the summer. For summer and fall, Out cows did, however, show a decrease in their reaction score to the suddenness test compared to NonOut cows. The results of the human reactivity test in the summer suggested that cows with outdoor access did not associate the manipulation with a positive event. Interestingly, this result is not due to the cows being more frightened, since the suddenness test suggested that the Out cows were less fearful than NonOut cows. The way in which cows were led to the outdoor area could explain the differences in cow responses. Here, summer cows faced greater movement restrictions during trips to the outdoor area than in the winter, which may have been negatively perceived by the cows. We conclude that, besides the provision of outdoor access, the manner in which cows are handled during these events may have significant impacts on their reactions and could facilitate future handling.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Providing an Outdoor Exercise Area Affects Tie-Stall Cow Reactivity and Human-Cow Relations

Aigueperse

Vasseur

2021

Front. Vet. Sci.

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“…The effect of social housing on calf performance and behavior has received considerable attention (Jensen et al, 1997;De Paula Vieira et al, 2010), and recently interest has increased in using hutches to pair-house calves (Cobb et al, 2014;Pempek et al, 2016;Wormsbecher et al, 2017). Cobb et al (2014) reported improved performance in group-housed calves compared with individually housed calves, but their results may not apply to conditions on many commercial farms given that group hutches (2.26 × 2.69 m) were used.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Short communication: Pair housing dairy calves in modified calf hutches

Whalin

Weary

Keyserlingk

2018

Journal of Dairy Science

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The objective of this study was to test if body weight (BW) and starter intake increased and reaction to novelty decreased for preweaning Holstein heifer calves pair housed in modified hutches (n = 8 pairs) versus individually housed in a single hutch (n = 14 calves). Calves were alternately assigned to housing treatment at d 5 of age. Cross sucking was recorded in 5-min scans for 30 min after milk feeding once per week over 14 wk. Calf health and BW were measured weekly from birth until approximately 88 d. When calves were 60 d old they underwent a food neophobia test where they were exposed to a novel feed for the first time. Cross sucking was observed only 5 times (in 4 different pairs) over the entire milk-feeding period. Pair-housed calves ate more starter than individually housed calves [0.89 (0.72-1.08) vs. 0.48 (0.42-0.56) kg/d; median and confidence interval], these calves also consumed 2.6 times more novel feed in the neophobia test (150 ± 27 vs. 58 ± 20 g/30 min). We observed no effect of treatment on BW. We concluded that social housing in modified hutches promotes solid feed intake and decreases fearfulness in dairy calves.

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“…Beyond the social benefits of pair housing, this practice is typically accompanied by an increase in physical space, which may explain the reduced lying time (i.e., more alert and active) during weaning in pair housed compared to individually housed calves ( Chua et al, 2002 ; Overvest et al, 2018 ). Other studies found no differences in lying time over 5 wk during winter and summer months but found that paired calves offered two outdoor hutches chose to lie together in a single hutch ( Wormsbecher et al, 2017 ). Pair housed and individually housed calves in this study were reported to make similar use of the indoor and outdoor space ( Wormsbecher et al, 2017 ).…”

Section: Short- and Long-term Effects Of Conventional Raising Under Rmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other studies found no differences in lying time over 5 wk during winter and summer months but found that paired calves offered two outdoor hutches chose to lie together in a single hutch ( Wormsbecher et al, 2017 ). Pair housed and individually housed calves in this study were reported to make similar use of the indoor and outdoor space ( Wormsbecher et al, 2017 ).…”

Section: Short- and Long-term Effects Of Conventional Raising Under Rmentioning

confidence: 99%

Current perspectives on the short- and long-term effects of conventional dairy calf raising systems: a comparison with the natural environment

Cantor

Neave

Costa

2019

Translational Animal Science

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Although the neonatal and infancy period is short, it is well documented that the early neonatal environment is critical for appropriate physical, behavioral, and cognitive development that lasts into adulthood. Dairy calves are commonly removed from the dam shortly after birth and raised in individual housing and fed limited milk allowances (4 to 6 L/d) in commercial farms around the world (conventional raising). Individual housing was developed to promote health status and facilitate individual animal monitoring. However, it is associated with high labor demand, and early life social isolation is associated with cognitive and behavioral abnormalities. Recently, group housing and enhanced milk-feeding programs are being increasingly adopted by farms; these practices more closely resemble the social and nutritional environments in natural or seminatural environments when the calf is raised with the dam. Conventional raising may lead to short- and long-term effects when compared to calves raised with the dam or peers. Short-term effects of conventional raising include impaired social skills when introduced to novel peers, reduced consumption of novel feeds, increased activity in a novel environment, and signs of hunger associated with limited milk intake and poor growth during the preweaning period. Evidence also suggests that the long-term effects of conventional artificial raising systems include behavioral differences, such as lower social submissiveness, increased heart rate and cortisol when presented with a novel environment, and production differences such as milk yield and reproductive performance. However, research on the long-term effects of maternal, social, physical, and nutritional restrictions in early life is still limited and should be encouraged. More research is needed to determine the long-term effects of artificial raising systems (individual, group housing, dam-raised) on future behavior, cognition, performance, and health parameters in dairy calves.

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A method of outdoor housing dairy calves in pairs using individual calf hutches

Cited by 29 publications

References 57 publications

Providing an Outdoor Exercise Area Affects Tie-Stall Cow Reactivity and Human-Cow Relations

Providing an Outdoor Exercise Area Affects Tie-Stall Cow Reactivity and Human-Cow Relations

Short communication: Pair housing dairy calves in modified calf hutches

Current perspectives on the short- and long-term effects of conventional dairy calf raising systems: a comparison with the natural environment

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