Dairy Heifer Rearing Welfare: Setting Foundations for Lifelong Health

The welfare of dairy heifers during their rearing phase from calf to first calving profoundly influences their adult health, longevity, and productivity, making early welfare investment economically and ethically important.

Key Facts

Heifers typically calve for the first time at 22-26 months of age after a rearing period of nearly 2 years
Early life nutrition and social development in heifers influences adult milk production and disease resistance
Group housing of heifer calves supports social learning and reduces stereotypic behaviour compared to individual hutches
Respiratory disease is the leading cause of calf mortality, linked to housing ventilation quality
Dehorning without anaesthesia causes measurable acute and chronic pain in heifer calves
Heifers that develop early social bonds show lower stress at first calving and better maternal behaviour

Welfare Considerations

Dairy heifer rearing is often treated as a cost centre rather than a welfare investment, with minimal-cost housing and management seen as acceptable because heifers are not yet producing milk. However, welfare failures during rearing have lasting consequences: inadequate social development, disease exposure, and painful procedures without pain relief all compromise the adult animal. Heifers that experience better early life welfare have lower rates of lameness, mastitis, and early culling as adults. The welfare and economic interests of dairy producers align strongly in favour of good heifer rearing standards.

What You Can Do

Support dairy welfare standards that include heifer rearing requirements from birth to first calving
Advocate for pain relief to be mandatory for all disbudding and dehorning procedures in dairy calves
Choose dairy products from farms with documented calf and heifer welfare programmes
Engage with dairy industry organisations to promote heifer rearing as a welfare priority not just a production input