Dairy calves separated early from their mothers can benefit significantly from social housing with other calves, which provides welfare benefits through the rearing period.
Individual calf hutch housing - once standard practice to control disease - is now recognised as welfare-compromising by depriving calves of social contact during a critical developmental period. Socially housed calves are better prepared for adult group living and show more positive welfare indicators. Disease management challenges in group housing are addressable through appropriate hygiene, vaccination and monitoring. The welfare benefit of social housing outweighs the management complexity in well-run systems. Pair housing is an accessible first step that delivers significant welfare improvement.