A generation ago, dairy calves were fed restricted milk allowances, abruptly weaned, and individually housed. However, over the years, research led by The University of British Columbia (UBC) and others around the world has shown the benefits to alternative feeding and housing practices. For example, a series of studies has demonstrated that offering higher milk allowances (e.g., 20 % BW/d), weaning gradually, and housing calves in pairs or small groups can promote solid feed intake and result in improved weight gains before and after weaning. Now, many dairy farms have begun adopting these newer calf rearing methods, and Canada’s dairy industry has now chosen to move toward adopting these practices industry-wide. Specifically, the 2023 Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Dairy Cattle (2023) requires that calves are offered a minimum milk volume of 20% of birth weight, daily from age 7 to 28 d, and that (by April 2031) “healthy, thriving and compatible” calves housed indoors be housed in pairs or groups by 4 weeks of age. To help the dairy industry move towards this new standard, we need to know where we stand today in terms of these practices on commercial dairy farms.
A recent study1 from the UBC’s Animal Welfare Program has helped address this gap and advanced our understanding of the calf rearing practices on dairy farms in British Columbia. PhD student Elizabeth Russell conducted a province-wide survey aimed at describing the rearing practices of dairy calves (e.g., milk feeding practices, weaning protocol, and housing style) on commercial farms. Given that earlier work has shown that many farmers value calf growth as an indicator of the success of their rearing program, and the idea that farmers likely ‘manage what they measure’, a secondary objective of the survey was to describe the methods farmers used to assess calf growth. All 437 dairy farms in the province were invited to participate in a survey distributed via email in 2023. We received 77 responses, retaining 63 responses for final, analysis, representing 14.4% of dairy farms in British Columbia
Pre-weaning management
Farmers reported feeding higher quantities milk of milk replacer than previously documented, averaging 9.5 L/d— exceeding the requirements outlined in the Code of Practice. Notably, 86% of respondents reported offering more than 8 L/d. Teat feeding was used on 71.6% of farms, and 13.1% of farms used automated milk feeders. Two participants reported feeding calves via the dam or nurse cows. Weaning age averaged 75.8 ± 16.3 d, with calf age being the primary criterion for weaning. Age was the most cited criterion for weaning calves (by 43 of 61 participants; for 23 participants age was the sole criterion) [Figure 1.]. Some participants reported using other criteria combined with age, such as health, body size, solid feed intake, and operational constraints (e.g., space within barn). Over one-third of the farmers housed calves in social housing (i.e., pairs or groups) at some point in the pre-weaning period, the remaining housed calves individually. Our results suggest that pre-weaning rearing practices are changing, as calves are often fed higher milk rations via a teat, and social housing is becoming more common. However, the prevalence of individual housing highlights the need for further research to understand the barriers to adopting social housing on farms.
Monitoring growth and performance
One-third of farms stated that they had a target average daily gain for calves from birth to weaning. Over half of the participants reported monitoring calf growth from birth to weaning, but these participants varied in how this was done. When those participants were asked if they collected calf weights (i.e., using a scale, tape, or stick); half reported using those tools, and 1 participant reported owning a scale to weight calves. Some participants, like P61, considered multiple factors when assessing growth; for example, this individual wrote that: “When [calves] have a nice frame and good flesh, if they don’t have the BCS [body condition score] I like to see, I don’t wean them yet.” Other participants reported using a more general assessment of growth (e.g., P48: “I just eyeball it”). These findings suggest the opportunity to improve methods for monitoring calf growth; better data could facilitate evidence-based evaluations of calf rearing protocols on farms.
The results from this survey showed that calves are being offered higher milk allowances than historically reported for North American dairy farms, evidence of a shift towards improved milk feeding practices. Individually housing of pre-weaned calves remains common, suggesting the need to understand the barriers to adopting social housing and the best ways to assist farmers with transitioning to this practice. Although many farms monitored calf growth, the majority did not have target growth rates for calves, and many relied on subjective assessments of calf growth; more specific targets and better data could help farms identify rearing practices that work best for them.
Figure 1. Venn Diagram of weaning criteria described by dairy farmers surveyed in British Columbia, Canada. Responses were categorized by theme and reported as counts. Two participants had incomplete responses and were removed (n=61).
For further information please contact Dan Weary (danweary@mail.ubc.ca), Marina (Nina) von Keyserlingk (nina@mail.ubc.ca), or Elizabeth Russell (Elizr18@mail.ubc.ca). The results described in this article are based on the study Russell, Elizabeth, Marina A.G. von Keyserlingk and Daniel M. Weary. In press. Benchmarking calf growth on commercial dairy farms: Integrating participatory methods to help improve calf weaning on farms. J. Dairy Sci. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2024-25561, This study was done in collaboration with Drs. Chelsea Himsworth and Ellen Boyd with the British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Salmonella Dublin Investigation and Management Program.
General funding for The University of British Columbia Animal Welfare program is provided by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council’s Research Chair in Dairy Cattle Welfare awarded to DMW and MvK with contributions from our industrial partners the Dairy Farmers of Canada (Ottawa, ON, Canada), Saputo Inc. (Montreal, QC, Canada), British Columbia Dairy Association (Burnaby, BC Canada), Alberta Milk (Edmonton, AB, Canada), Intervet Canada Corporation (Kirkland, QC, Canada), Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health (Burlington, ON, Canada), BC Cattle Industry Development Fund (Kamloops, BC, Canada), The Semex Alliance (Guelph, ON, Cana- da), Lactanet (Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada), Dairy Farmers of Manitoba (Winnipeg, MB, Canada), and SaskMilk (Regina, SK, Canada). The authors have not stated any conflicts of interest.
Research Reports are published throughout the year by UBC’s Dairy Education and Research Centre (DERC), a centre affiliated with the Faculty of Land and Food Systems, to share applied aspects of research from published articles in refereed scientific journals. The Dairy Education and Research Centre is used by several research groups on campus including Animal Reproduction and Animal Welfare and Behaviour. Other groups interested in conducting research at the Centre are encouraged to contact the UBC DERC Research Manager Dr. Julia Lomb (Julia.Lomb@ubc.ca)
