Abstract
Due to increasing public concern regarding separation of the dairy cow and calf within the first days after birth, alternative systems, where cows and calves stay in contact for an extended period, are receiving increasing interest from a broad array of researchers and other stakeholders. With more research in the area, there is a risk of inconsistencies emerging in the use of terminology. To create a better consensus in further discussions, the aim of this Research Reflection is to provide definitions and propose a common terminology for cow-calf contact in dairy production. We also suggest definitions for various systems allowing cow-calf contact and describe the distinct phases of cow-calf contact systems.
Highlights
We propose the term artificial rearing (Table 1) to describe calf rearing in which calves are separated from the dam in the first days after calving and not introduced to a foster mother, such that calves consume milk or milk replacer from an artificial source and cannot suckle from an udder
We define cow-calf contact rearing as any system allowing physical contact between a dam and her own calf, or between a foster cow and her foster calf
If permanent separation of calf and cow after a period of cowcalf contact rearing happens before the end of the milk-feeding period, and calves obtain milk from an artificial source after having suckled their dam or a foster cow, this rearing may be called combined rearing
Summary
The cow and the calf are managed with CCC during specific periods of the day only, that is when temporary cow-calf separation exceeds milking and feeding times a. Several short times a day CCC allowed during two (or more) short periods daily, e.g. 2 × 15 min, 2 × 30 min, 2 × 60 min b.
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