In this special episode of The Dairy Health Blackbelt Podcast, marking International Women’s Day, Dr. Jennifer Van Os, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist in Animal Welfare at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, discusses pair and group housing of preweaned calves. She explains behavioral needs, enrichment, cross-sucking, milk feeding methods, and upcoming Canadian housing expectations. Discover practical, science-based strategies to improve calf welfare and performance. Listen now on all major platforms!

“Enrichment is a way to modify the environment for cattle so that behavioral needs are addressed, not just basic physiological requirements.”

Meet the guest: Dr. Jennifer Van Os is an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist in Animal Welfare in the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research integrates applied science and outreach to improve dairy cattle welfare, focusing on calf social housing, behavioral needs, thermal comfort, and practical management solutions.

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What you will learn:

• (00:00) Highlight
• (01:00) Introduction
• (01:57) Pair housing benefits
• (04:37) Defining enrichment
• (06:26) Canada 2031 rule
• (08:25) Cross sucking concerns
• (10:15) Nipple feeding effects
• (13:29) Final Questions

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.

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