Effect of calf rearing with mother contact compared to bucket feeding on health and welfare of calves

Summary

Early separation of cow and calf is still common practice on dairy farms. In recent years, interest in mother-bonded calf rearing practices has increased. They are considered to be animal-friendly, labour-saving and health-promoting for the calf. However, these systems are challenging, e.g. regarding the cow's willingness to let down milk or the pain of separation after establishing a social bonding.
We tested the hypothesis that calves allowed dam suckling (DS) twice a day would benefit concerning weight gain, health-related traits and show fewer behavioural disorders (oral manipulations) compared to bucket fed (BF) group mates. Furthermore, we investigated the impact of cow-calf contact compared to bucket feeding on selected immune parameters in calf blood and cow milk.