Brushes for calves: Is that necessary?

Having access to brushes has a positive effect on the behavior of calves, according to a study conducted by the University of Nottingham.

The study involved 226 calves, and those calves that had brushes available in their stalls were significantly more active and balanced, with fewer feeding interruptions.

To assess the impact of calf brushes on animal behavior, the study divided the calves into Group 1 and Group 2. Stalls 1-8 (totaling 125 calves) belonged to Group 1, which never had access to brushes in their pens. Stalls 9-16 (totaling 101 calves) belonged to Group 2. The study period of 72 days was divided into 48-hour periods, during which calves in Group 2 were randomly assigned to either the "with brush" or "without brush" experimental conditions.

Monitoring the calves' behavior was done using sensors for animal tracking, while the automatic feeding system recorded their food intake. Calves that had access to brushes showed an increase in feeding duration and a slight decrease in feeding speed, resulting in fewer interruptions during feeding.

Over the course of the study, the time calves spent using the brushes did not decrease, indicating no habituation effect. Calves with intermittent access to brushes spent 53% more time playing per day than those without access to brushes. They also covered 28% more distance daily and stayed in one place 14% longer than calves without brush access. These effects were observed even on days when these groups did not have a brush in their stall.