Large group sizes can result in increased competition for teats, especially if only one teat is available, such as with many automatic feeding systems. In contrast, the same study found that in groups larger than ten, the mortality rate is significantly higher than the rate seen in individually housed calves or calves in small groups. studied over 3 000 calves on 122 farms and found that, in smaller groups, the incidence of sickness and mortality to common calf-hood illnesses such as respiratory disease and diarrhea is more likely to be similar to that of individually housed calves. Like pair housing, small groups give calves increased space and social contact while also providing lower rates of disease and the ability to monitor calves closely. Small groups of three to eight calves are recommended. Small group housing (three to eight calves): When considering the benefits or drawbacks between group and individual calf housing, the size of the group is an essential consideration. Pair housing is a good balance between the benefits of group and individual housing the calf has social contact and more usable space but can health and milk intake can still be monitored fairly closely. Some penning designs allow you to remove a partition between individual pens to create a larger pen for a pair of calves. Pair housing: A great way to get both your calves and yourself used to group housing calves is to pair-house calves. This can minimize the stress of relocation.

Calves that were individually housed on the dairy farm will benefit from some time to adjust to their new surroundings before being placed into a group. If you purchase calves that you know were pair or group housed on the dairy farm, you can place them into similar groups on arrival at the veal farm. For veal farmers, this means calves can often be paired or grouped as they arrive on the veal operation, as calves should be at least seven days old before leaving the dairy farm. Calf ageĬalves can be successfully pair- housed with a calf of the same or similar age from three to six days after birth. Despite this, producers can successfully raise healthy and well-grown calves efficiently in groups from a young age. Assessing things like the amount of milk, water or solid feed consumed, or manure passed is much simpler when calves are housed individually, however some auto-feeders do monitor milk intake. Managing pre-weaned calves in group housing is different than managing young calves in individual pens or hutches.

Veal calf age