The feeding behaviour of calves in different systems of husbandry

Abstract

Observations of calves in 5 rearing systems revealed that the feeding method and the nature of the diet influenced the whole pattern of calf behaviour. Calves single-suckled by their dams at pasture spent an average of 21% of a 24-h day in oral activities associated with feeding and 3% of their time in non-nutritive oral behaviour. Calves on a hay and concentrate diet, with milk supplied either via teats ad libitum to 8 weeks of age or twice daily in buckets to 6 weeks of age, spent longer in these activities. The time remaining for non-oral activities was correspondingly less. Nutritive oral behaviour occupied 29% of the time of the calves on teats and 50% of the time of those on buckets. Both early-weaned groups spent about 6% of their time in non-nutritive oral activities, as did straw-yard veal calves. The latter spent 19% of their time eating their straw bedding or sucking warm milk which was freely available from teats. Crated veal calves, whose only feed was milk offered twice daily in buckets, consumed this rapidly. Their total oral activity occupied 22% of their time, and most of this (20