Animal rights activists get up in arms when they learn that baby calves are taken from their mothers. They believe that it’s a traumatic experience for the animals, and that it’s done only to steal the mother’s milk. Neither of these things is true. There is a lot of variation between farms as to how soon the calves are removed from their mothers sides; it ranges anywhere from immediately to three to four months. Some dairies do the separation gradually by slowly decreasing the number of times the calf nurses before completely separating them to avoid unnecessary stress. Weaning calves this early is actually for their own well being. One thing that a lot of people don't realize is that colostrum, or the mother's first milk that supplies the baby with key developmental nutrients, is not consumable by humans, and is still fed to the baby. Even after the colostrum phases into milk that is drinkable by humans, milk is still set aside for the calves to have. Although the separation may be distressing for the mothers, this does not last for a long time. The connection between mother and calf is not the same as the bond between a human mother and child.
A personal anecdote: My senior year of high school, one of my prized show heifers gave birth to a bull calf. Long story short, the calf was born with a deformity of its nasal cavity, and would not be able to nurse. It had to be put down. I was devastated, but, even worse, fearing for the devastation that the cow would face when her baby was taken and she wouldn’t understand why. However, our vet (an all-around awesome guy!) assured me that, within twelve to sixteen hours, she would completely forget about the calf. Cattle handle these things differently than we do, he said. Sure enough, the next morning, she was fine, high-headed and eager for breakfast, as usual.
This is the case for dairy cattle. Although there may be short term distress, removing the calf a young age is more humane. If the calf was left at side, there would be upset and chaos up to three times a day when the pair was separated for the mother to be milked, calves would get plowed over and shoved aside by much bigger fully grown cattle when it came time to head to the barn, calves would not be able to get nutrition suitable for their age, and fresh water would be difficult to obtain because they would be competing with the bigger cows for space at water troughs. By putting each calf in its own, individual hut, workers can keep an eye on their health, how much they’re eating and drinking, growth rates, and be able to give each calf one-on-one attention. At many dairy farms, there are certain workers that do nothing but take care of the babies. After all, the calves are the farms’ future milkers, and, if they really lived the miserable lives that vegan proponents claim, their growth and future production would be stunted.
Although separating mothers and babies prematurely is something that happens, it doesn’t necessarily happen on every dairy farm. Many operations have a specific setup that allows the calves to be able to thrive just as well while still staying at their mothers’ sides. Others farms believe that the calves' performance is boost by receiving one-on-one care. However, every farm does eventually wean the calves off because weaning is a natural process that even happens in the wild. In beef cattle operations, calves are usually weaned at 5-7 months of age, the time when the males reach sexual maturity. Failure to wean puts the herd at risk for inbreeding, or male calves breeding the heifers too young.
Future posts will discuss what happens with male dairy calves, artificial insemination, and dehorning and tail docking processes.
Sources:
"AFTER THE CALF IS BORN." AFTER THE CALF IS BORN. Food and Agriculture Organization, n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2017.
Jones, Coleen, and Jud Heinrichs. "Early Weaning Strategies (Dairy Cattle Nutrition)." Penn State Extension. Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2017.
Rydell, Jim. "A Guide To Dairy Calf Feeding And Management." (n.d.): n. pag. APHIS. Bovine Alliance on Management and Nutrition, 2003. Web. 11 Jan. 2017.
A personal anecdote: My senior year of high school, one of my prized show heifers gave birth to a bull calf. Long story short, the calf was born with a deformity of its nasal cavity, and would not be able to nurse. It had to be put down. I was devastated, but, even worse, fearing for the devastation that the cow would face when her baby was taken and she wouldn’t understand why. However, our vet (an all-around awesome guy!) assured me that, within twelve to sixteen hours, she would completely forget about the calf. Cattle handle these things differently than we do, he said. Sure enough, the next morning, she was fine, high-headed and eager for breakfast, as usual.
This is the case for dairy cattle. Although there may be short term distress, removing the calf a young age is more humane. If the calf was left at side, there would be upset and chaos up to three times a day when the pair was separated for the mother to be milked, calves would get plowed over and shoved aside by much bigger fully grown cattle when it came time to head to the barn, calves would not be able to get nutrition suitable for their age, and fresh water would be difficult to obtain because they would be competing with the bigger cows for space at water troughs. By putting each calf in its own, individual hut, workers can keep an eye on their health, how much they’re eating and drinking, growth rates, and be able to give each calf one-on-one attention. At many dairy farms, there are certain workers that do nothing but take care of the babies. After all, the calves are the farms’ future milkers, and, if they really lived the miserable lives that vegan proponents claim, their growth and future production would be stunted.
Although separating mothers and babies prematurely is something that happens, it doesn’t necessarily happen on every dairy farm. Many operations have a specific setup that allows the calves to be able to thrive just as well while still staying at their mothers’ sides. Others farms believe that the calves' performance is boost by receiving one-on-one care. However, every farm does eventually wean the calves off because weaning is a natural process that even happens in the wild. In beef cattle operations, calves are usually weaned at 5-7 months of age, the time when the males reach sexual maturity. Failure to wean puts the herd at risk for inbreeding, or male calves breeding the heifers too young.
Future posts will discuss what happens with male dairy calves, artificial insemination, and dehorning and tail docking processes.
Sources:
"AFTER THE CALF IS BORN." AFTER THE CALF IS BORN. Food and Agriculture Organization, n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2017.
Jones, Coleen, and Jud Heinrichs. "Early Weaning Strategies (Dairy Cattle Nutrition)." Penn State Extension. Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2017.
Rydell, Jim. "A Guide To Dairy Calf Feeding And Management." (n.d.): n. pag. APHIS. Bovine Alliance on Management and Nutrition, 2003. Web. 11 Jan. 2017.
Share this: