A common new situation, especially experienced by young developing animals, is the introduction and adaptation to novel feed. Dairy calves have been shown to consume more novel feed and have better learning ability when raised in complex social housing as opposed to individual housing. For example, finches reared in conditions where food delivery was unpredictable were better able to solve novel challenges as adults, while mink raised with environmental enrichment solve cognitive tasks better in later life. Calves also appear motivated to access forage, evidenced by transient neophobia, high intake, and persistence in feeding by naïve calves.Ĭomplexity in early life can improve behavioral flexibility and adaptability to new situations. Overall, response to a novel feed is affected by both early life experience, such as opportunities to process forage, and the presentation of the feed itself.
These results suggest that previous experience with hay improves processing ability when presented with novel TMR. Intake was similar across groups (P = 0.978), suggesting this apparent neophobia was transient, but Control calves took longer to eat than Bucket (P<0.001) and Pipe (P = 0.070) calves and were less likely to give up on eating to lie down instead.
Neophobia towards TMR was affected by prior experience with presentation: Bucket calves began eating TMR faster than Pipe and Control (P≤0.012) and showed the fewest number of startle responses (P = 0.004). The calf was released from the hutch and video-recorded for 30 min. TMR was put in the 3 rd bucket that previously contained hay (Bucket) or was empty (Control, Pipe). On d 50, each calf was briefly blocked inside their hutch. All calves had 3 buckets and a pipe feeder provided in their uncovered pen area. Treatments were applied from birth through 50 d of age, when step-down weaning began.
Calves were fed a diet of starter grain and milk replacer (5.7–8.4L/d step-up) via a bottle (Control, n = 9) or given additional access to mountaingrass hay presented either in a bucket (Bucket, n = 9), or PVC pipe feeder (Pipe, n = 9). Holstein heifer calves were housed individually in a covered outdoor hutch with an attached uncovered wire-fenced pen on sand bedding. Our objective was to evaluate how early provision and presentation of forage in dairy calves affected response to novel TMR (total mixed ration grain and alfalfa) at weaning. Animals raised in environments that prevent natural foraging opportunities may have difficulty adapting to novelty, such as feeding and management changes.
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