The Impact of Calf Rearing with Foster Cows on Calf Health, Welfare, and Veal Quality in Dairy Farms
This study assessed the impact of different calf rearing systems on calf health, behavior, meat quality, and oxidative stability. The study involved two groups of bull calves: conventionally penned calves (control, fed with use of automatic feeders) and calves reared alongside foster cows (experimen...
| Үндсэн зохиолчид: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Формат: | Өгүүллэг |
| Хэл сонгох: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-09-01
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| Цуврал: | Agriculture |
| Нөхцлүүд: | |
| Онлайн хандалт: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/13/9/1829 |
| _version_ | 1827727672343527424 |
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| author | Paweł Solarczyk Tomasz Sakowski Marcin Gołębiewski Jan Slósarz Grzegorz Grodkowski Kinga Grodkowska Luisa Biondi Massimiliano Lanza Antonio Natalello Kamila Puppel |
| author_facet | Paweł Solarczyk Tomasz Sakowski Marcin Gołębiewski Jan Slósarz Grzegorz Grodkowski Kinga Grodkowska Luisa Biondi Massimiliano Lanza Antonio Natalello Kamila Puppel |
| author_sort | Paweł Solarczyk |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study assessed the impact of different calf rearing systems on calf health, behavior, meat quality, and oxidative stability. The study involved two groups of bull calves: conventionally penned calves (control, fed with use of automatic feeders) and calves reared alongside foster cows (experimental). The presence of foster cows was found to have a significant positive influence on calf health. Calves raised with foster cows experienced lower rates of diarrhea, delayed instances of coughing, and a reduced occurrence of rhinitis compared to conventionally reared calves. Behavioral observations revealed differences in sucking and licking behaviors between the two groups. Calves with foster cows displayed more consistent patterns of these behaviors, while conventionally reared calves exhibited greater variability. Additionally, the experimental group consistently achieved higher daily weight gains, suggesting the potential for larger and more valuable carcasses at slaughter. Importantly, there were no significant differences in the quality of veal between the two rearing groups. This included fatty acid composition, color attributes, and myoglobin levels, indicating consistent meat quality. In summary, this research highlights the advantages of rearing systems that prioritize calf health and behavior, emphasizing maternal care and natural behaviors. Such systems hold promise for improving calf welfare and enhancing the sustainability of the meat production industry. The integration of foster cows into dairy farming practices emerges as a practical and effective approach, particularly for the rearing of bull calves. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:08:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9391b907f30e4ad5a6eb281817459034 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-0472 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:08:42Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agriculture |
| spelling | doaj.art-9391b907f30e4ad5a6eb2818174590342023-11-19T09:07:52ZengMDPI AGAgriculture2077-04722023-09-01139182910.3390/agriculture13091829The Impact of Calf Rearing with Foster Cows on Calf Health, Welfare, and Veal Quality in Dairy FarmsPaweł Solarczyk0Tomasz Sakowski1Marcin Gołębiewski2Jan Slósarz3Grzegorz Grodkowski4Kinga Grodkowska5Luisa Biondi6Massimiliano Lanza7Antonio Natalello8Kamila Puppel9Department of Animal Breeding, Institute of Animal Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-786 Warsaw, PolandDepartment of Biotechnology and Nutrigenomics, Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 05-552 Jastrzębiec, PolandDepartment of Animal Breeding, Institute of Animal Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-786 Warsaw, PolandDepartment of Animal Breeding, Institute of Animal Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-786 Warsaw, PolandDepartment of Animal Breeding, Institute of Animal Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-786 Warsaw, PolandDepartment of Animal Breeding, Institute of Animal Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-786 Warsaw, PolandDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, ItalyDepartment of Animal Breeding, Institute of Animal Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-786 Warsaw, PolandThis study assessed the impact of different calf rearing systems on calf health, behavior, meat quality, and oxidative stability. The study involved two groups of bull calves: conventionally penned calves (control, fed with use of automatic feeders) and calves reared alongside foster cows (experimental). The presence of foster cows was found to have a significant positive influence on calf health. Calves raised with foster cows experienced lower rates of diarrhea, delayed instances of coughing, and a reduced occurrence of rhinitis compared to conventionally reared calves. Behavioral observations revealed differences in sucking and licking behaviors between the two groups. Calves with foster cows displayed more consistent patterns of these behaviors, while conventionally reared calves exhibited greater variability. Additionally, the experimental group consistently achieved higher daily weight gains, suggesting the potential for larger and more valuable carcasses at slaughter. Importantly, there were no significant differences in the quality of veal between the two rearing groups. This included fatty acid composition, color attributes, and myoglobin levels, indicating consistent meat quality. In summary, this research highlights the advantages of rearing systems that prioritize calf health and behavior, emphasizing maternal care and natural behaviors. Such systems hold promise for improving calf welfare and enhancing the sustainability of the meat production industry. The integration of foster cows into dairy farming practices emerges as a practical and effective approach, particularly for the rearing of bull calves.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/13/9/1829calveshealthbehaviorvealoxidative stressfatty acids |
| spellingShingle | Paweł Solarczyk Tomasz Sakowski Marcin Gołębiewski Jan Slósarz Grzegorz Grodkowski Kinga Grodkowska Luisa Biondi Massimiliano Lanza Antonio Natalello Kamila Puppel The Impact of Calf Rearing with Foster Cows on Calf Health, Welfare, and Veal Quality in Dairy Farms Agriculture calves health behavior veal oxidative stress fatty acids |
| title | The Impact of Calf Rearing with Foster Cows on Calf Health, Welfare, and Veal Quality in Dairy Farms |
| title_full | The Impact of Calf Rearing with Foster Cows on Calf Health, Welfare, and Veal Quality in Dairy Farms |
| title_fullStr | The Impact of Calf Rearing with Foster Cows on Calf Health, Welfare, and Veal Quality in Dairy Farms |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Impact of Calf Rearing with Foster Cows on Calf Health, Welfare, and Veal Quality in Dairy Farms |
| title_short | The Impact of Calf Rearing with Foster Cows on Calf Health, Welfare, and Veal Quality in Dairy Farms |
| title_sort | impact of calf rearing with foster cows on calf health welfare and veal quality in dairy farms |
| topic | calves health behavior veal oxidative stress fatty acids |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/13/9/1829 |
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