Improved weaning reduces cross-sucking and may improve weight gain in dairy calves

Artificially reared dairy calves are weaned as soon as possible for economic reasons, often without sufficient consideration of individual differences in capability to eat dry food. A particularly critical situation occurs when milk provision is discontinued without knowing whether the calves are able to cover their nutritional requirements with solid food only. Possible consequences are diminished weight gain and abnormal oral behaviour (especially cross-sucking). In this study, a concentrate-intake-dependent weaning method (reduction of milk allowance dependent on an increasing consumption of concentrate (n = 14 calves: individually weaned calves)) was compared with a conventional weaning method generally used on Swiss farms (milk provision ended at 11.5 weeks of age irrespective of concentrate intake (n = 13 calves: conventionally weaned calves)). The sucking and feeding behaviour of each calf was observed three times for two consecutive days (1 week after grouping, 1 week before and 1 week after the end of milk provision). Each calf was weighed twice weekly. Individually weaned calves reduced cross-sucking occurring independently of milk intake with increasing age, whilst this was not observed in conventionally weaned calves (P = 0.002). There was a tendency for weight gain in individually weaned calves to increase steadily, whereas the weight gain of conventionally weaned calves remained constant after milk provision was stopped (P = 0.069). These findings indicate that optimised management of weaning bearing the individual animal's development in mind improves production and welfare in dairy calves.