Dairy heifer rearing — raising female calves to their first lactation — involves welfare challenges that shape the lifelong health and productivity of dairy cows.
Heifer rearing welfare has traditionally been neglected relative to milking cow welfare, despite its significance for both animal wellbeing and farm economics. Individual calf hutch housing, which is standard in many US dairies, prevents the social development that group rearing provides. Research consistently shows that socially reared heifers are better at navigating the social demands of group housing as adults, have lower stress responses, and show better exploratory behavior. The welfare investment in heifer rearing pays dividends across the productive life of the dairy cow, making improved rearing standards both ethical and economically rational.