Invited review: The effect of weaning practices on dairy calf performance, behavior, and health-A systematic review.

The aim of this systematic review was to summarize the literature assessing the effects of weaning practices on performance, behavior, and health of dairy calves. Only published, peer-reviewed articles written in English and specifically assessing the effects of weaning treatments on dairy calves were eligible for inclusion. Studies had to include 2 or more treatment groups that addressed at least one of 4 interventions: weaning age (i.

Postpartum Stressors Cause a Reduction in Mechanical Brush Use in Dairy Cows.

Dairy cows are often subjected to multiple post-partum stressors but how these stressors impact cows' affective states remain poorly understood. Negative affective states are often associated with reduced expression of low-resilience behaviors, so we explored whether cows would reduce their use of a brush after calving. Before calving, cows were offered the opportunity to use a mechanical brush once a week for 10 min.