Pair or group housing of dairy calves
Two heads are better than one: A starter guide to pairing dairy calves
This series of articles is a seven-part starter guide for pairing or group-housing pre-weaned dairy calves. Throughout this guide, we cover best practices to promote good health and welfare in calves raised in pairs or small groups.
View or download each article below. All articles within the guide are meant to printed out and kept together as a series. The red tabs on the sides of the documents help readers flip to the section of interest.
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Cover Page
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1. Why all the fuss about pair housing?
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2. Benchmarks for calf health before pair housing
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3. Hygiene Practices
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4. Options for housing pairs or groups
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5. Grouping strategies
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6. Feeding practices and reducing cross sucking
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7. Disbudding and dehorning considerations
This guide was created by Jennifer Van Os, PhD, with contributions from:
- Sarah Adcock, PhD, Department of Animal & Dairy Sciences, UW–Madison
- Joao Costa, PhD, Department of Animal & Food Sciences, University of Kentucky
- Courtney Halbach, MBA, Department of Medical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, UW–Madison
- Tina Kohlman, MS, UW–Madison Extension Fond du Lac County
- Emily Miller-Cushon, PhD, Department of Animal Sciences, University of Florida
- Theresa Ollivett, DVM, PhD, Department of Medical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, UW–Madison
- Donald Sockett, DVM, PhD, Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, UW–Madison
- Sandy Stuttgen, DVM, UW–Madison Extension Taylor County
Related Extension articles
- Reduce cross-sucking using simple adjustments to feeding methods. Jennifer Van Os. Progressive Dairy. November, 2021.
- Appropriate alternatives reduce cross sucking. Jennifer Van Os and Rekia Salter. Agri-View. September, 2020.
- For dairy calves, two (or more) heads are better than one. Jennifer Van Os, Rekia Salter, and Kim Reuscher. Calf-Tel’s Calf Corner. July, 2020.
- Pairing dairy calves using hutches for housing. Jennifer Van Os. Wisconsin State Farmer. April, 2020.
- For dairy calves, two (or more) heads are better than one. Jennifer Van Os. Wisconsin State Farmer. November, 2019.
- For calves, two – or more – heads are better than one. Jennifer Van Os. Dairy’s Bottom Line. October, 2019.
Related multimedia
Interviews, videos, and podcasts
- Calves and group housing. Shelly Mayer. Discussion with Jennifer Van Os & Theresa Ollivett. PDPW’s The Dairy Signal. August 4, 2020. (1:00:44; video and audio-only options)
- Benefits of Pair or Group Calf Housing. Josh Scramlin. Radio interview with Jennifer Van Os. Mid-West Farm Report-Madison. January 24, 2020. (8:28)
- Calf Chat with Ann – Current Calf Research. Ann Hoskins. Video interview with Jennifer Van Os & Kim Reuscher. Vita Plus Starting Strong. July 17, 2019. (6:55)
- Social housing for calves. Bob Middendorf. Radio interview with Jennifer Van Os. WGLR 97.7. March 19, 2019. (9:46)
Text articles
- Socialized calves become smarter cows. Abby Bauer. Hoard’s Dairyman Intel. May, 2022.
- Facility focus: Does paired housing make sense for your calves? Taylor Leach. Dairy Herd Management. February, 2022.
- Research explores benefits of pair & group calf housing. Elizabeth Larson. California Dairy Magazine. September, 2020.
- Group housing could improve calf welfare. Taylor Leach. Dairy Herd Management. September 4, 2020.
- Pair-housing benefits calves. Lynn Grooms. Agri-View. May 21, 2020.
- There are ways to curtail cross sucking. Abby Bauer. Hoard’s Dairyman Intel. May 4, 2020.
- Paired calf housing improves learning. Maggie Gilles. Hoard’s Dairyman. February 14, 2020.
- A look at calf welfare from multiple angles. Heifer Notes, Dairy Calf & Heifer Association. Quarter 4, 2019.
- The business of raising calves. John Oncken. Wisconsin State Farmer. April 16, 2019.