Stop the Suck: Avoiding Cross-sucking with Automated Feeders

Cross-sucking is an abnormal behavior that calves can carry into maturity

Cross-sucking, or when a calf suckles the navel or body parts of another calf, is an abnormal behavior that can develop when we socially house calves without their dam. It is important to limit cross-sucking events as some heifers carry this bad habit into maturity [1]. However, the program used on the automated milk feeding system (AMF) can mitigate the risk of cross-sucking. Specifically, increasing the minimum meal size on the AMF for when a calf is eligible to drink milk, offering calves higher daily milk allotments, and providing the calf an appropriate step-down weaning strategy are all critical to maximizing the productivity of your calves in this system. This article will provide key management strategies for the AMF to minimize cross-sucking from developing in your herd.

Key milk feeding strategy considerations to limit cross-sucking in automated feeding systems

Age to introduce calves to group housing.

• Calves should be AMF-trained as young as possible. Calves are ready for group housing and to learn the AMF when they show aggressive drinking behavior. Allow exceptions for calves born from a difficult birth. Research shows that an early introduction to the AMF reduces the labor required for backgrounding calves [2].
• Why? A calf held in individual housing longer has no advantages over a calf being trained on an AMF within 3 to 5 days of age [2]. Calves fed less than 6 L/d develop pen-sucking behavior after feeding [3]. Allowing calves to background longer in individual housing might allow pen-sucking behavior to persist in social housing. Calves fed individually twice a day may be “trained” to expect this feeding frequency if housed individually for longer than 7 days of age.

The feeding plans.

• The cross-sucking risk increases when AMF calves are not offered enough milk per day [4], [5]. Program the AMF to allow at least ≥ 8 L/day. However, it’s even better to allow the calf to drink as much as they want for the first month of life. For the best growth after weaning step-down wean calves across several days to encourage starter intake and offer at least 10 L/d. Note that not all calves will consume the 10 L/d, but providing more milk to calves offers them an opportunity and discourages them from redirecting their hunger to cross-sucking calves [4].
• Why? One of the largest limitations to preventing preweaned calves from reaching their growth potential is hunger. Hunger is linked to increased cross-sucking time. Neonatal calves need milk for the first three weeks of life because they are born with an immature rumen, and they are nutritionally dependent on milk: (i.e., lactose, whey, casein, and milk fat) for growth [6].

The meal size.

• The minimum meal size should be 1.5 L because smaller meals are linked to an increased time spent cross-sucking in calves [5]. Maximum meal sizes usually start at 2 L and increase as the calf ages (e.g., max meal size 3.5 L).  Limit calves on ad libitum milk allowance to 2 L every 2 hours.
• Why? The minimum meal size programmed into the AMF dictates when the calf would be eligible to drink milk if the producer restricts the daily milk offered to the calf. For example, the plan limits milk intake to 8 L per day and the minimum meal size is 1.5 L. By default, the AMF will automatically allocate the meal across 24 hours (e.g., 8 L over 24 h is 0.33 L/hour). Calves must wait for “credits” before additional milk will be delivered. In this case, the calf waits over 4 hours to be eligible to drink another meal if it consumes 1.5 L. This is why it is important to offer calves more milk per day on AMF to avoid frustration being redirected into cross-sucking behavior.

Pen stocking density

• Stocking density is calculated by how many calves are in a pen with access to one nipple. We suggest at least 35 sq. ft. per animal of bedded resting space, not including the concrete area with the AMF stall. A maximum of 15 calves per nipple may reduce the risk of spreading pneumonia [7].
• Why? Calves prefer to visit the feeder during dawn and dusk so avoiding overcrowding limits cross-sucking opportunities for hungry calves [8]. Larger groups also increase competition at the feeder stall, leaving the least dominant calves hungry at peak feeding times [9].

The weaning strategy.

• A large advantage to an AMF system is individualized, automated weaning in a slow, step-down fashion (Figure 1). For example, program the AMF to reduce daily milk from ad lib. to a high daily milk allocation (8 L/day) across 4 days. Allow the calf to receive this high milk allocation (8 L/d) for an additional 7 to 10 days to stimulate calf starter intake. Resume the weaning process by programming the AMF to reduce from 100% to 20% of the high daily milk allocation (8 L/day to 2 L/d) over an additional 10 to 14 days. Complete the weaning program in the AMF on the day after the final reduction to 0 L/d.
• Why? A calf’s lower gut needs time to transition from using milk as the primary source of energy in the diet (i.e., lactose) to using metabolizable energy derived from the calf starter as the primary form of energy. Calf starter intake also feeds the microbiota in a calf’s rumen, leading to the production of volatile fatty acids such as butyrate, which are fundamental for rumen development [10].

In summary, cross-sucking can be minimized when we allow calves enough milk to drink ≥ 8 L/d, allow at least 1.5 L per meal, provide them time to wean from the automated milk feeder across several weeks and avoid larger groups that increase competition during peak feeding times. If you follow these guidelines, cross-sucking is low risk for producers using automated milk-feeding systems to feed their calves.

Figure 1. An automated milk feeder step-down weaning strategy to stimulate calf starter intake. (Weaning scheme for calves offered high milk allotments)

References

[1]   N. M. Keil, L. Audigé, and W. Langhans, "Is Intersucking in Dairy Cows the Continuation of a Habit Developed in Early Life?" J. Dairy Sci., vol. 84, no. 1, pp. 140–146, Jan. 2001, doi: 10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(01)74462-1.

[2]  C. Medrano-Galarza et al., "Effect of age of introduction to an automated milk feeder on calf learning and performance and labor requirements," J. Dairy Sci., vol. 101, no. 10, pp. 9371–9384, Oct. 2018, doi: 10.3168/jds.2018-14390.

[3]   J. K. Margerison, T. R. Preston, N. Berry, and C. J. C. Phillips, "Cross-sucking and other oral behaviours in calves, and their relation to cow suckling and food provision," Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., vol. 80, no. 4, pp. 277–286, Mar. 2003, doi: 10.1016/S0168-1591(02)00231-9.

[4]   J. Jung and L. Lidfors, "Effects of amount of milk, milk flow and access to a rubber teat on cross-sucking and non-nutritive sucking in dairy calves," Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., vol. 72, no. 3, pp. 201–213, May 2001, doi: 10.1016/S0168-1591(01)00110-1.

[5]   P. P. Nielsen, M. B. Jensen, and L. Lidfors, "Milk allowance and weaning method affect the use of a computer-controlled milk feeder and the development of cross-sucking in dairy calves," Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., vol. 109, no. 2–4, pp. 223–237, Feb. 2008, doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2007.01.015.

[6]   Committee on Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle, Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources, Division on Earth and Life Studies, and National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle: Eighth Revised Edition. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 2021, p. 25806. doi: 10.17226/25806.

[7]  C. Svensson and P. Liberg, "The effect of group size on health and growth rate of Swedish dairy calves housed in pens with automatic milk-feeders," Prev. Vet. Med., vol. 73, no. 1, pp. 43–53, Jan. 2006, doi: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2005.08.021.

[8]  E. K. Miller-Cushon and T. J. DeVries, "Effect of social housing on the development of feeding behavior and social feeding preferences of dairy calves," J. Dairy Sci., vol. 99, no. 2, pp. 1406–1417, Feb. 2016, doi: 10.3168/jds.2015-9869.

[9]  M. B. Jensen, "Computer-Controlled Milk Feeding of Dairy Calves: The Effects of Number of Calves per Feeder and Number of Milk Portions on Use of Feeder and Social Behavior," J. Dairy Sci., vol. 87, no. 10, pp. 3428–3438, Oct. 2004, doi: 10.3168/jds. S0022-0302(04)73478-5.

[10]  M. A. Khan, A. Bach, D. M. Weary, and M. A. G. Von Keyserlingk, "Invited review: Transitioning from milk to solid feed in dairy heifers," J. Dairy Sci., vol. 99, no. 2, pp. 885–902, Feb. 2016, doi: 10.3168/jds.2015-9975.