DEAR SIR: Your calving supplements of the last two weeks appear to advocate an approach to calf rearing that is totally at variance from the findings of The Animal Health Ireland (AHI) CalfCare expert group.

This expert group was commissioned by AHI to provide evidence-based advice on calf health and disease management to Irish farmers, agricultural advisers and veterinary practitioners. The findings were subsequently published in the Irish Veterinary Journal.

The AHI expert group is particularly cautious about group-rearing pre-weaned calves and states that “there have been mixed reports on the impact of group housing of calves, both indoors and outside, on calf health. A number of authors have reported higher morbidity and mortality among group-housed pre-weaned dairy calves compared to individual housing. A review of group housing of dairy calves with different feeding systems concluded that group housing increases the risk of infection, especially in larger groups and thus requires more skills and poses more challenges to management.

The AHI expert group is particularly concerned with “dynamic” groups. “Calves in stable groups had significantly higher daily liveweight gains than those in dynamic groups (where new calves were continuously introduced to and exited group housing). The prevalence of both diarrhoea and respiratory disease was more than twice as high among calves in dynamic compared to stable groups. Grouping calves of similar age lowers the risk of respiratory disease compared to groups with wider age differences.”

This advice from AHI is consistent with the recommendations from Teagasc, who suggest group size less than 12 and not more than 30 calves sharing the same airspace. One of your correspondents suggested putting 50 calves in a group. The AHI expert group has given a strong endorsement of individual housing which is consistent with international best practice when it comes to rearing pre-weaned calves. “Individual housing of dairy calves, either indoors or outside, is generally linked with improved calf health. ”.

It is much faster to feed a large group of calves than individuals. However, factoring in the time and cost of treating the increased disease coupled with potentially long-term lung and gut damage, the economics would look different.

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