Weaning age significantly affects dairy calf welfare. Later weaning reduces the abrupt transition stress that causes welfare impacts at conventional early weaning.
Early weaning in dairy calves creates a severe nutritional, social, and physiological transition. Calves weaned at conventional ages show distress behaviors - vocalizing, pacing, and reduced feeding - that indicate genuine welfare impact. Later weaning that allows fuller behavioral and physiological development before transition reduces these welfare costs without compromising long-term performance.