The role of solid feed amount and composition and of milk replacer supply in veal calf welfare

L.E. Webb*, C.G. van Reenen, H. Berends, B. Engel, I.J.M. de Boer, W.J.J. Gerrits, E.A.M. Bokkers

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

28 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Diets used in veal production were linked with welfare problems: that is, behavioral and gastrointestinal health disorders. This study aimed to dertermine how indicators of calf welfare, that is, behavior and some characteristics of the feces reflecting gastrointestinal health status, are affected by (1) different amounts and compositions of solid feed (SF), (2) the addition of adlibitum long straw to a typical veal diet, and (3) milk replacer (MR) being fed via automated milkd dispensers (AMD). Two-week-old Holstein-Friesian bull calves (n = 270) were used in this study.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)5467-5481
JournalJournal of Dairy Science
Volume98
Issue number8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2015

Keywords

  • Behavior
  • Milk feeding method
  • Roughage-to-concentrate ratio
  • Solid feed level
  • Veal calf

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