Today’s producers have options for housing calves, options that account for calf comfort, employee efficiency and operational success. There’s no one right way to raise calves, but there are many ways to do it well, as attendees learned recently at the Vines and Bovines event hosted by Vita Plus.

Raising healthy, high-performing calves starts with the right housing system. As calf care practices have evolved, many dairy and veal producers are now exploring how indoor housing systems can better support their operational goals.

For many years, the calf hutch has been considered the “gold” standard. Is it time to reevaluate this standard? Let’s consider the benefits and challenges of the calf hutch system compared to other alternatives.

A less-studied strategy to help calves cope with cold stress could be through having a companion. Pair or group housing of calves has become a popular topic of discussion over the past few decades. We conducted a study to measure if pair-housing calves in a dual hutch system could help reduce the effects of cold stress during winter. Read about the study's results.

If you are consistently having problems with your calves, consider having a third party complete a calf hygiene audit and ask about using an ATP meter.