Student projects
Keeping Dairy Cows with their calves: A sustainable future for dairy farming
University of Glasgow Veterinary BioScience Honours Project
This study aimed to further investigate the health, welfare and sustainability impacts of keeping dairy cows with their calves in a large commercial dairy herd. Data from Rainton Farm was analysed.
Cow and calf health and production data were collected from herd records and veterinary records. Data included: milk yield, somatic cell count, cull data, reproductive data, medicine sales, calf growth rates, fallen stock records, animal health and treatment records. Interviews were conducted with farm personnel to capture their experience of a CwC system. Data were collated and summarised descriptively to investigate cow and calf performance during a period where keeping cows with calves was established and routinely practiced.
Key findings:
Liquid lactation yields reduced due to suckling by calves, leading to an inverse yield curve
Average individual cow somatic cell counts (ICSSC) are low, with >70% herd having an ICSSC of <250,000 cells per ml; median SCC <100,000 cells/ml
Calf mean daily liveweight gain is 1.2kg/day
Johne’s milk testing suggests a low risk herd
Calf health is generally good, although some respiratory disease in autumn-born calves which has been attributed to Pasteurella multocida infections; possibly due to the close contact between adults and calves
Stockworkers on farm reported a higher level of job satisfaction compared to more traditional farming systems as they had more time for husbandry and stockmanship activities