Cattle are highly social animals with complex herd dynamics, and management of social groups in dairy systems has important implications for individual and collective welfare.
Social management is one of the most underappreciated dimensions of dairy cow welfare. The common practice of frequent regrouping to match cow nutritional needs to group diets disrupts social bonds that cows have formed over weeks or months. The resulting aggression, reduced feed access, and social uncertainty cause measurable stress and health consequences. Systems that minimize regrouping frequency, maintain stable social groups through production stages, and ensure adequate space for all animals to access feed and water simultaneously create environments where cows can develop and maintain the positive social relationships that are fundamental to their wellbeing.