Effects of alternative housing and feeding systems on the behavior and performance of dairy heifer calves

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of alternative housing and feeding systems on the behavior and performance of dairy calves. Thirty-four female Holstein calves were housed in hutches in Exp. 1, and 48 female Holstein calves were housed in wire-panel pens in a feed-commodity shed in Exp. 2. All calves were allocated to treatments at birth (ranging from 3 to 9 d of age) and monitored for 9 wk. Treatments were as follows: individual housing and fed with a bucket, individual housing and fed with a bottle, paired housing and fed with a bucket, or paired housing and fed with a bottle. Milk was fed via bucket or bottle twice per day (6 L/d). Direct behavior observations were conducted once per week for all calves in Exp. 1 and video recorded every other week for all calves in Exp. 2; behavior measures took place for 2 h both in the morning and afternoon. Total DMI (grain and milk solids) were similar (P > 0.10) for calves between the housing methods for Exp. 1 and 2. Calves fed with a bottle spent more (P < 0.05) time ingesting milk than did calves fed with a bucket. Compared with calves housed in pairs, individually housed calves spent more (P < 0.05) time engaged in nonnutritive oral behavior. Cross-sucking was observed less (P < 0.05) in calves fed with a bottle in Exp. 1, but no difference (P < 0.10) between feeding treatments was observed in Exp. 2. Overall, this experiment provides evidence that housing young heifer calves in pairs allows for social interactions without having adverse effects on calf performance or behavior.