Calves in most dairy farms are separated from their dams either immediately or within a few hours after birth, prompting increasing concern of the society for reasons of animal welfare. The aim of this study was to identify systems to maintain cow-calf contact (CCC) that balance the benefits for calf […]
Abstracts: Freedom from thirst-do dairy cows and calves have sufficient access to drinking water?
The importance of drinking water for production and animal welfare is widely recognized, but surveys and animal welfare assessment schemes suggest that many dairy calves and dairy cows do not have sufficient access. Limit milk-fed calves drink more water than calves fed milk ad libitum, but ad libitum milk-fed calves […]
Not a load of bull
It was during a radio interview in 2007 about the impact on the New Zealand environment from cattle excretion, and a quip by the host that suggested cows should be toilet trained, that first started Lindsay Matthews thinking. A University of Auckland honorary academic and director of an independent research […]
Abstracts: Perspectives on pasture versus indoor feeding of dairy cows
The dairy industry in many regions of the world has moved towards a high- input/high-output system maximising annual milk production per cow, primarily through increasing concentrate-based total mixed rations fed indoors year round, as opposed to allowing cows to feed on pasture. Pasture-based dairy systems in regions like New Zealand […]
The effect of conspecific removal on behavioral and physiological responses of dairy cattle
Adverse social and welfare implications of mixing dairy cows or separating calves from their mothers have been documented previously. Here we investigated the behavioral and physiological responses of individuals remaining after conspecifics were removed. We conducted a series of 4 experiments incorporating a range of types of different dairy cattle […]