Animal Welfare Science @ UW-Madison

🐄🐄 Want to learn more about successfully pair or group housing dairy calves? 🐄🐄 See our 7-part series on key practices to promote good calf health & welfare 🐄🐄 Two heads are better than one: A starter guide to pairing dairy calves 🐄🐄 animalwelfare.cals.wisc.edu/calf_pairing/

Learn how to measure airspeeds and ventilation rates in dairy barns in 1 of 3 on-farm workshops in Wisconsin! July 7 or 28, or August 24. thedairylandinitiative.vetmed.wisc.edu

We are seeking input from US dairy producers and calf care staff - please take 10 minutes to share your thoughts on calf management and behavior! Please share! tinyurl.com/dairycalfbehav…

Join me online on Fri, Feb 4 to learning about some innovative approaches we're developing for learning cow-handling skills. go.wisc.edu/FarmReadyResea…

What will @FARMProgram Animal Care prioritize in version 5? Join the virtual dairy industry town hall on Tue, Dec 14 at 1 pm EST: nationaldairyfarm.com/farm-animal-ca…

U.S. dairy producers - please take 10 minutes to share your thoughts on calf management! tinyurl.com/dairycalfbehav…

Free access through Sept 23 to our article in press: "Stationary brush use in naive dairy heifers" A simple way to provide opportunities for grooming and oral behavior for weaned heifers 🪥🐄 authors.elsevier.com/a/1dW-u50bFVrlu

So honored to have received the 2021-22 Alfred Toepfer Faculty Fellow award for research benefiting U.S. agriculture! ecals.cals.wisc.edu/2021/06/21/jin…

Our paper is featured as Editor's Choice in the May 2021 issue of @jdairyscience! Congratulations, Rekia! journalofdairyscience.org

Congratulations to Faith Baier, PhD student in the Van Os lab, for receiving the 2021 DCHA Scholarship!! 👏👏👏🎉 morningagclips.com/uw-madisons-fa… @CalfandHeifer

Open-access paper by Rekia Salter in press @jdairyscience! 🍼 Milk- and starter-feeding strategies to reduce cross sucking in pair-housed calves in outdoor hutches 🐄🐄 authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S00… Congrats, Rekia!

@dairy_hub Thank you again @dairy_hub! It's amazing what we can capture with high-resolution video 🐄🐄🐄🎥

@AWSUWM purchased 40 high-resolution cameras to observe animal behavior and quantify behavioral outcomes through a Hub grant. Learn more about how this research is working to improve animal welfare: ow.ly/XukN50DD5Gf

🐄🐄 The 7-part guide is now complete! 🐄🐄 We will continue to update it in the future with any new information or research 🐄🐄 Please reach out with any questions or suggestions 🐄🐄 Happy calf pairing!

🐄🐄 Want to learn more about successfully pair or group housing dairy calves? 🐄🐄 See our 7-part series on key practices to promote good calf health & welfare 🐄🐄 Two heads are better than one: A starter guide to pairing dairy calves 🐄🐄 animalwelfare.cals.wisc.edu/calf_pairing/

🐄🐄 Part 3 of our starter guide on pairing calves is on our website! 🐄🐄 "Hygiene practices" 🐄🐄 Biocontainment & biosecurity, sanitation & choosing disinfectants, bedding maintenance 🐄🐄 animalwelfare.cals.wisc.edu/calf_pairing/

@marchantforde That's a link I hadn't thought of!

🐄 Next Tuesday, Feb 2, 1 pm CST 🐄 Animal care on the farm and beyond 🐄 Jennifer Van Os and Aerica Bjurstrom 🐄 Online (Zoom) and FREE! 🐄 Register: extension.wisc.edu/agriculture/fa…

🐄🐄 Part 2 of our starter guide on pairing calves is on our website! 🐄🐄 "Benchmarks for calf health before pair housing" 🐄🐄 Measuring transfer of passive immunity along with mortality and morbidity in the pre-weaning period 🐄🐄 animalwelfare.cals.wisc.edu/calf_pairing/

Join us on March 2 for our virtual workshop on how to enhance dairy cattle welfare and optimize performance through facility design and management! conta.cc/3ikO8qg

🐄🐄 Part 6 of our starter guide on pairing calves is on our website! 🐄🐄 "Feeding practices and reducing cross sucking" 🐄🐄 How to minimize cross sucking, pen sucking, and milk stealing by understanding calves' natural feeding behavior 🐄🐄 animalwelfare.cals.wisc.edu/calf_pairing/

🐄🐄 Part 5 of our starter guide on pairing calves is on our website! 🐄🐄 "Grouping strategies" 🐄🐄 How many calves should there be per group? At which age should calves be paired or grouped? What should the maximum age difference be? 🐄🐄 animalwelfare.cals.wisc.edu/calf_pairing/

🐄🐄 Part 4 of our starter guide on pairing calves is on our website! 🐄🐄"Options for housing pairs or groups" 🐄🐄 Housing options + best practices for space allowance and bedding for pairs or small groups of calves 🐄🐄 animalwelfare.cals.wisc.edu/calf_pairing/