Dairy calves separated from their mothers within hours of birth face specific welfare challenges in the first weeks of life. Understanding and improving calf welfare is a major priority in dairy animal welfare science.
The separation of dairy calves from their mothers is one of the most publicly criticized welfare practices in agriculture, and the scientific evidence confirms that both parties experience genuine distress. The acute vocalization of cows and calves during and after separation — which continues for up to 48 hours — is audible evidence of a welfare cost that is difficult to dismiss. Longer-term welfare effects on calves include reduced social development from individual housing, higher disease susceptibility from inadequate colostrum, and the general impoverishment of early life experiences. Dam-rearing or extended suckling systems that allow calves to remain with their mothers for weeks or months represent welfare improvements that are being adopted by progressive dairy operations, though they require management changes that some systems find challenging.