23.3 Comfort in Important for Calves, Too! w/ Dr. Jessica Mitchell

Join Extension Dairy team member, Dr. Jess Mitchell to learn about her research on calf housing and comfort and why it is important to keep calves comfortable, too.

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:10

Welcome to Bovine Banter with the Penn State Extension Dairy Team. My name is Ginger Fenton, and I'm an educator based in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. I'm excited to welcome Dr. Jessica Mitchell to our podcast today. Dr. Mitchell recently joined the Penn State Extension Dairy Team as an educator. Welcome, Dr. Mitchell. I look forward to learning more about your extension programming. Can you please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about yourself?

Speaker 0:35

Sure. Good morning, Ginger, and thank you so much for having me today. I'm Jessica Mitchell, and I'm a scientist by training with a background in dairy cattle behavior and welfare, with a particular emphasis on managing pre-weaned calves. I grew up on a small cow-calf operation in Belmont County, Ohio. So livestock have always been a big part of my life. And I attended the Ohio State University for both my undergraduate and graduate programs, where I studied dairy cattle behavior and welfare. And after graduating with my PhD, I spent a little over two years in the Department of Animal Sciences as an assistant professor at Ohio State. And then my family and I migrated to the state of Indiana, where I took a position with the USDA as a research animal scientist. And then in this role, I continued working on calf behavior and welfare research. And then late last year, I joined Penn State Extension's dairy team, which really I think brought my career full circle. Great. Well, again, welcome. Thank you.

Speaker 1 1:38

Can you tell us a little bit about your programming interests in Extension and also what drew you to Extension?

Speaker 1:45

Sure. So given my background, probably my programming interests, probably won't surprise you, but I focus a lot on calf management during the pre-weaning and weaning periods, both for our replacement heifer calves, but also the non-replacement calves that are raised for veal and dairy beef. But I don't only work with calves. I also spend some time evaluating cow health and welfare through the lens of different animal care programs. And I teach practical animal handling, do's and don'ts to improve safety and well-being for both cattle and humans. And what really drew me to extension is the chance to take what we learn from research and turn it into practical science-based solutions that farmers can't actually use on their farms. I love helping producers support calf comfort, welfare, productivity, and ways that work within the realities of their farm. And things like labor, facilities, economics, the list goes on. But just trying to take what we learn from research and apply it on farm.

Speaker 1 2:48

I think building on that a little bit more, Jess, you mentioned that you're a research scientist. So you can you tell us some more about those research interests and about some of your past projects and what you've done.

Non-Replacement Calves And Transport Challenges

Speaker 2:59

Sure. So my research really started in graduate school with a focus on different housing systems for baby calves and how that shapes calf development and behavior. I spent a lot of time looking at pair housing, so just housing one calf with another versus individual housing during this period. And we really wanted to understand how that affects their growth, health, and behavior. Our research and the work from many others since that time has shown that when managed properly, that's the key, when managed properly, calves raised in pairs do adapt to challenges more easily. They often have higher starter intake, which translates into better average daily gain. And they develop stronger social and cognitive skills that help them throughout their life. More recently, my work has shifted towards understanding what happens to our non-replacement dairy calves as they move through the calf production chain once they leave the dairy farm. Especially, you know, that first transition when they go from the farm and they might be sold through an auction before they get to a calf raising facility. That stretch can be quite challenging for calves. The transport, change in environment, differences in feeding and just overall management. So we've been looking at how calves respond, both behaviorally and from a health standpoint, across a number of farms in the Midwest to get a clearer picture of what they experience during that period and in the first weeks after they arrive into a dairy beef production system. We know that dehydration is one of the large and most consistent challenges that calves face at this time. So a key part of this work has been testing different rehydration strategies and trying to find ones that lead to quicker, healthier recovery for the calves.

Speaker 1 4:42

The topic for this series of the Bovine Banter podcast is cow comfort. And we just heard about your research interest with calves. Can you give us an overview of the key factors for comfortable calf housing?

Speaker 4:54

Sure. So and I think when we talk about calf comfort, our mind, we just kind of initially go to the physical needs, which are very important. Things like a clean, dry, well-bedded environment. Ideally with baby calves, especially in this weather in southern Pennsylvania, we don't want to see their legs when they lie down. They also need protection from heat, cold drafts, good air quality, and enough space so that they have enough room to move around comfortably, particularly as they continue to grow. And that's not an exhaustive list. That's just some examples of some of the physical requirements that baby calves need to be comfortable. But comfort isn't just physical. And I think sometimes, you know, we tend not to think about the other side, but it's also kind of influenced by how calves feel and the level of care that they receive. So nutrition can be a good example of this. If calves don't receive enough milk, hunger can create stress and slow growth, especially in weather conditions like we've had the past week. So providing enough milk to you know meet their energy needs supports not only better thermoregulation, but improves their overall comfort and ultimately helps them grow more. Another example, could be pain management, which is an important part of comfort and overall welfare. So using pain control during procedures like disbudding makes calves noticeably more comfortable and they tend to get back to normal behaviors and feeding and activity levels when we manage pain well. So those are just a couple of examples about how we can consider things outside of just the physical environment, but also, you know, what calves need as well in terms of you know managing how they feel.

Speaker 1 6:39

Yeah, I'm sure getting them off to a good start is really important.

Speaker 6:44

Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 1 6:45

So, how does comfort early in life influence their long-term performance?

Speaker 6:49

Yeah, this is really cool. And there's been a lot of research, recent research, that has kind of linked early life care to longer-term productivity. It's really hard to do. Those studies are very challenging to follow calves into the milking parlor, you know, three years later. But that's a great question. And there is a growing body of evidence that link early life experiences and how these experiences have long-term impacts. So, for example, social housing, to kind of get back to that and where I started with research, this not only supports calves' natural behavior and increases starter intake during the pre-weaning period, but it boosts productivity kind of on both sides of weaning. So calves do transition easier through the weaning phase and post-weaning if they were housed with a pair during the pre-weaning phase. So it does kind of translate longer over time. Plus, it builds the learning and adaptability skills that we know kind of follow calves throughout their lifetime as they handle new situations. Another example could be enhanced milk allowance during the pre-weaning period. Higher milk feeding does improve improve early life growth, which we'd expect. But research has also shown that calves had more milk before weaning often produce more milk in their first lactation and even beyond. So higher milk allowances can support better welfare in the short term and better performance later on.

Early Care Linked To Lifetime Performance

Speaker 1 8:08

Oh, that leads me to so many more questions. Yeah, there's only a future one. Absolutely. What are, we're gonna say the positives and negatives with different styles of calf housing?

Pros And Cons Of Housing Systems

Speaker 8:26

Yeah, so I'd say for every different type of system, there are positives and negatives. And you know, there's not a one size fits all housing approach to every farm. It's not, you know, prescriptive in that sense. But, how they work, I think, really comes down to management. So if we think about individual housing, this helps farmers closely monitor their calves and can help limit disease spread early in life, which is really why a lot of farms, we we still see a lot of farms using this housing system. Pair housing, I think, offers kind of a practical middle ground if producers are interested in, you know, calves being with one another, but not potentially switching to an entirely new housing system like larger groups. We can accommodate pair housing really with any individual housing type system, which is nice. And calves do get that important social contact that they need. And then farmers can still manage them pretty easily, you know, if they're just in a pair versus a large group. Both of these setups can be done, you know, outdoors in hutches. We see a lot of hutches, you know, across Pennsylvania and across the US. And this cannot, you know, calves can be housed indoors as well, either either way in an individual or a pair housing system. Just depends on the farm and kind of what housing system they have in place. We've also seen farms both for our replacement heifers and for the non-replacement calves be hard or housed in larger groups as well, which can be a good option. Again, for you know, social contact, natural behavior, and starter intake. But like I mentioned, this does require a larger transition and more monetary input to kind of transition from an individual to a larger group system, which can work, but I would caution folks to think about group size. We know that if groups get too large, you know, even greater than eight calves, this can increase their risk of disease. Some calves that are sick, you know, might go undetected. So it does just make the dynamic of raising baby calves a little different if you have a lot in a group. So we need to also, I would say, pay close attention to other things that are important for any type of housing system, but space allowance and also minimizing competition for important resources like food, and space allowance. So again, it's not a one size fits all. I think each farm, they have to choose, you know, the fit system that fits best for them and their management, and in a way that supports calf health and and behavior and just overall performance. It depends, is the short answer. All right.

Speaker 1 10:59

That's fair. That's fair. Lots to weigh and think about.

Speaker 11:02

Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 1 11:04

I understand that. Is there a common misconception or mistake that you have encountered when it comes to calf housing?

Speaker 11:12

Yeah, that's another great question. And actually, I have a couple that come to mind. So one is the idea that housing design alone is going to determine calf comfort. You know, in reality, the the physical setup and that day-to-day management, they have to work together every day, day in, day out. So even a beautiful, well-designed can compromise calf welfare if, for example, the bedding isn't dry or ventilation is poor, or if feeding routines aren't consistent. I think another misconception is, you know, if we're only kind of honed in on growth and survival, and we're using that to kind of judge our overall impact of comfort. So calf behavior, I think, can give us earlier and often better clues as to how calves are doing and experiencing their environment and the level of care we're providing. So, for example, if a calf is, you know, just a little bit slow to rise, or if they drink a little bit slowly, you know, that can tell us something's off much earlier before we see changes in growth or potentially more serious health issues. And I would say, lastly, then this is a big one, a third third misconception, and one that I actually hear a lot is that, you know, pair housing will increase calves' risk of disease. Well, I get the sentiment there. There's actually not a single scientific research study that has shown that. Disease issues, I think, are more likely. You know, it has been shown that if group size, like I said, is large, that can compromise calf health, but there's nothing in the literature that shows that paired housing, you know, will increase calves' risk of having health complications. And there's so many benefits to social housing. So while I get that it's scary, you know, it's not exactly a, you know, I put two calves together and they're gonna get sick. I mean, you have to have good overall calf management. And calves should be doing well before you even consider transitioning to a social system. But I think that's just kind of one one thing that I hear a lot. And it's like, actually, that's, you know, when we turn to the research, that's really not the case across a number of studies. So yeah, great question.

Bedding Types, Nesting, And Simple Tests

Speaker 1 13:23

This makes me think of something else I'm going to add in. Yeah, please, please do. I just wondered you you mentioned earlier that the rule is that you don't want to see calves' legs when they're lying down. Yeah. Is there a gold standard for the type of bedding and amount of bedding to consider for calves as well?

Speaker 13:42

Yeah, type of bedding, I think, you know, it depends on the season too. I would say right now, I really like to see, I think, you know, sawdust works really well as like a base layer, you know, in a hutch type system. And then I like to see a lot of straw. I think that, you know, the base layer helps kind of absorb the moisture. And, you know, we really want those calves deep nested and straw bedding. They need it, you know, if we think about their, you know, their comfort zone when it comes to temperature. And baby calves less than a month old, that's only 50 degrees Fahrenheit. And, you know, right now we are finally into double digits, but we've been below zero. So, you know, I think that and just yeah, having the appropriate amount of bedding is really important and something that they can nest down into. There's different scoring systems too. The most common one is a three-point scoring system, you know, where zero, you know, calves have no bedding basically. A one, they're a little bit nested in it, and then a two, they're, you know, you can't see their legs, like I said. So yeah, I think that that covers that. Was there another part to it that I'm forgetting?

Speaker 1 14:48

No, that answers my question. My second one is a follow-up, maybe expanding on that. Are there tools or guidelines that producers can follow to ensure that their calves are housed in an environment that supports their health and growth?

Speaker 15:02

Yeah. And one, another thought just came to mind too with the bedding. And it is a guideline, I think a very simple one that we can follow when it comes to do my calves have enough bedding? Kneel down in the pen. You know, if you stand up and your knee is wet, the quick answer is no, they do not. So, outside of that, you know, of course, Penn State has a ton of great resources specific to baby calves, you know, and in different topics, really any topic that you're looking for. So I would start there in terms of industry level guidelines. The National Dairy Farm Program, you know, has really in-depth and science-backed resources for producers to turn to on various management practices as well. And also a newer program is called the Calf Care Quality Assurance Program. It's it's starting to pick up speed, I think, across, you know, not just for replacement heifers, but dairy beef calves as well. So I think, you know, they offer other practical and evidence-backed resources that farmers can turn to to help them with their decisions on the farm.

Speaker 1 16:04

Great. And I assume all those are things that people can find online.

Speaker 16:07

Yeah, absolutely. Yep, you can get print versions of any of those resources. So yeah, those are the first ones that come to mind that I think are pretty thorough and do have the science to back up their what they're recommending.

Speaker 1 16:21

What would you like dairy producers to understand about calf behavior and comfort?

Speaker 16:27

Really good question, I think the short answer would be I want producers to recognize that long before we see, you know, clinical signs of disease or diarrhea or something more serious, behavior is typically the first thing that's going to be, I'm doing air quotes, people can't see it, but off, so to speak. So small shifts in activity, appetite, how they, you know, get up and greet you when you bring milk to the pen, how they interact with their environment, you know, all of those things can tell us whether a calf is comfortable or whether they're they're coping well or feeling well. So I think just really tune in to behavior in those small changes and you'll be more proactive, I think.

Speaker 1 17:14

I think that's a good rule in general to use well, your eyes and observe, but also all your senses. Yeah. If smells are off, if the air feels different, just take in all those things. That's a part of it.

Speaker 17:29

Absolutely. Yep. If it's not kind of consistently what you're used to, investigate it. Look further.

Speaker 1 17:36

Do you have any final thoughts that you'd like to share with our listeners?

Final Takeaway And Contact Info

Speaker 17:40

I'm sure. I think just short and sweet, just to remind people that good calf care carries forward. Those early decisions show up again when those heifers calve in and when they enter the lactating herd. I know it's you know three years from that point, but it's the same animals that are going to walk into the parlor in a few years. And what we put in in early life, it it really does come back around. So I think just invest in them early and it will pay off.

Speaker 1 18:13

Thank you very much, Dr. Mitchell, for taking the time to talk to us today. And thank you to all our listeners out there. Don't forget to tune in to our next episode of the Bovine Banter Podcast, where team members will continue to explore topics related to cow comfort. If you have any questions about today's episode, please email me at gdc3@ psu.edu or reach out to Dr. Mitchell, who's in the Somerset County Extension Office. And if you'd like to share your email and phone number if you want to.

Speaker 18:43

Sure, yes. My email is JAM 10013@ psu.edu. And my telephone number is 814-837-7195.

Speaker 1 18:59

Great. Thank you so much.

Speaker 19:01

Thank you.