Organic EprintsSuckling, a natural calf rearing system for organic dairy farms J.LanghoutauthorJ.P.WagenaarauthorAbstract - Maternal behaviour and contact between cow and calf is limited or absent in modern dairy systems due to the wide use of bucket feeding. This is also the case in organic dairy systems. An increasing number of individual farmers are not satisfied with the artificial bucket feeding system. In order to improve the welfare of their dairy cattle, a number of organic farms introduced suckling systems. On the dairy farms that make use of a suckling system calves are suckled by their mother or a nurse cow, for a duration that ranges from three days up to three months. We evaluated on-farm the growth and production of calves reared in a bucket feeding system or a suckling system. Suckling systems make better use of the growing potential of calves in the first months of their lives. A high weaning weight may result in a lower age at first calving and a higher weight at calving. Higher bodyweight at calving also has a positive effect on milk production in the first lactation . Dairy cattle Health and welfare Feeding and growth2006Conference paper, poster, etc.

Deposit Agreement

In depositing this eprint (a collection of files and associated bibliographic metadata), I grant Organic Eprints the right to make it permanently available on-line, with open access to all or in accordance with any access restrictions that I have specified. (Removal of eprints from the public archive is strongly discouraged, but will be granted upon request.)
I understand that Organic Eprints does not assume any responsibility if there is any breach of copyright in distributing these files or metadata.

For work being deposited by its own first author: I declare that this eprint is my own intellectual property and that I have the right to make it available in Organic Eprints in the manner chosen.

For work being deposited by someone other than its first author: I declare that I have gained the proper permissions from someone with the right to make this eprint available in Organic Eprints in the manner chosen - or that the material is in the public domain.

Clicking on the deposit button indicates your agreement to these terms. If you do not wish to deposit the eprint right now you can return to your user area, where you will find this eprint in your workspace. You can then later edit, clone and deposit it.