Investigating nutritional strategies during a rest period to improve health, growth, and behavioral outcomes of transported surplus dairy calves
Open accessAbstract
The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of feeding surplus dairy calves a milk replacer (MR) or one of 2 different oral rehydration solutions (ORS) during a midtransportation rest period on metabolic and clinical health indicators, growth, and behavioral outcomes after arrival at a calf-raising facility. Surplus dairy calves (n = 128) were transported in 4 cohorts from February to July 2022 for 12 h to a holding facility, rested for 8 h, then transported for an additional 6 h to a calf-raising facility. Upon arrival at the holding facility, calves were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments: MR (n = 43), a high-sodium ORS developed for diarrhea (ORS-D; n = 43), or a high-potassium ORS developed for transportation (ORS-T; n = 42). The exact age of calves at transportation was unknown; however, all calves were less than 14 d of age. Calf BW at enrollment was 43.9 ± 5.9 kg, 43.7 ± 6.5 kg, and 45.0 ± 4.5 kg for calves fed MR, ORS-D, and ORS-T, respectively. Calves were fed 2.0 L of their treatment twice, once upon arrival and once before leaving the holding facility. At unloading and reloading at the holding facility, calves were weighed and blood samples were obtained. Calves were also health scored at unloading at the holding facility. After arrival at the calf-raising facility, calves were weighed, health scored, and blood samples were taken. Blood samples were collected at 24 and 48 h and BW was recorded at 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, 5 d, 7 d, 14 d, and at 8 wk after arrival at the calf-raising facility. Calves were also health scored daily for 14 d; health scoring included fecal consistency scoring and evaluating the presence or absence of respiratory disease. Lying time, lying bouts, and activity index were measured during transportation and from 3 d relative to transportation using accelerometers. At arrival to the calf-raiser, calves fed ORS-D had higher concentrations of nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) and BHB than calves fed MR. Furthermore, calves fed ORS-T had higher concentrations of BHB at arrival to the calf raiser compared with calves fed MR. In the 14 d after arrival at the calf-raiser, there was evidence that calves fed ORS-T had a higher proportion of days with diarrhea and respiratory disease compared with those fed MR. During transportation, calves fed ORS-T had a lower activity index than calves fed MR, suggesting that ORS-T calves had lower overall activity. In addition, on the day of transportation (d 0), ORS-T and ORS-D calves had a lower activity index than calves fed MR. There were no treatment effects on growth outcomes. The results of this study suggest that feeding MR rather than an ORS during a midtransportation rest period could minimize fat mobilization and can potentially improve diarrhea and respiratory disease but does not affect growth outcomes after arrival at calf-raisers.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Providing a milk replacer meal during a mid-journey rest period resulted in lower NEFA concentrations at arrival to a calf raiser compared with calves that consumed an oral rehydration solution.
“Recently, Bajus et al. (2024) found that providing a milk replacer meal during a mid-journey rest period resulted in lower nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) and BHB concentrations at arrival to a calf raiser compared with calves that consumed an oral rehydration solution (ORS).”
From A randomized controlled trial evaluating the effect of providing a rest period during long-distance transportation of surplus dairy calves: Part II. Effect on hematological variables (2024) · cites this paper as Bajus et al. (2024)
Providing a milk replacer meal during a mid-journey rest period resulted in lower BHB concentrations at arrival to a calf raiser compared with calves that consumed an oral rehydration solution.
“Recently, Bajus et al. (2024) found that providing a milk replacer meal during a mid-journey rest period resulted in lower nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) and BHB concentrations at arrival to a calf raiser compared with calves that consumed an oral rehydration solution (ORS).”
From A randomized controlled trial evaluating the effect of providing a rest period during long-distance transportation of surplus dairy calves: Part II. Effect on hematological variables (2024) · cites this paper as Bajus et al. (2024)
Milk replacer is more effective at minimizing fat mobilization in calves than ORS, suggesting that the milk meal mitigated nutrient depletion resulting from long-distance transportation.
“Milk replacer is more effective at minimizing fat mobilization in calves than ORS, suggesting that the milk meal mitigated nutrient depletion resulting from long-distance transportation (Marcato et al., 2020; Bajus et al., 2024).”
From A randomized controlled trial evaluating the effect of providing a rest period during long-distance transportation of surplus dairy calves: Part II. Effect on hematological variables (2024) · cites this paper as Bajus et al., 2024
Calves fed milk replacer during an 8-h rest stop in between 12 and 6 h of transport showed less fat mobilization and tendencies for reduced signs of respiratory disease and diarrhea after transportation than calves fed electrolyte solution.
“Bajus et al. (2024) found that calves fed MR during an 8-h rest stop in between 12 and 6 h of transport showed less fat mobilization and tendencies for reduced signs of respiratory disease and diarrhea after transportation than calves fed electrolyte solution.”
From Effects of pre- and post-transport feeding protocols on the metabolism and physiological status of veal calves. (2025) · cites this paper as Bajus et al., 2024
Several studies have shown that calves fed electrolyte solutions before transport or during rest-stops instead of more nutrient- and energy-rich milk replacer are more likely to rely on metabolising body fat reserves to maintain energy balance and lose more weight during subsequent transport.
“Several studies have shown that calves fed electrolyte solutions before transport [12, 56, 57] or during rest-stops [58] instead of more nutrient- and energy-rich MR are more likely to rely on metabolising body fat reserves to maintain energy balance and lose more weight during subsequent transport.”
From Effects of age and feeding protocols on the metabolic and physiological condition of unweaned calves during and after long-distance transport (2026) · cites this paper as [58]
Bajus et al. similarly reported suboptimal recovery when calves were fed electrolytes compared to milk replacer after transport at a rest stop, and Pempek et al. found that feeding calves electrolyte solution for 0-3 days post-transport had very limited positive effects on re-hydration and energy recovery.
“Bajus et al. [58] similarly reported suboptimal recovery (more fat mobilisation, worse energy balance) when calves were fed electrolytes compared to MR after transport at a rest stop, and Pempek et al. [66] found that feeding calves electrolyte solution for 0–3 days post-transport (additionally to MR) had very limited positive effects on re-hydration and energy recovery.”
From Effects of age and feeding protocols on the metabolic and physiological condition of unweaned calves during and after long-distance transport (2026) · cites this paper as [58]
Cites
Disease Management of Dairy Calves and Heifers
McGuirk, S. M. (2008) · Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice · doi:10.1016/j.cvfa.2007.10.003 · Cited by 629 · see citing works
Svensson, C., Lundborg, K., Emanuelson, U., & Olsson, S.-O. (2003) · Preventive Veterinary Medicine · doi:10.1016/s0167-5877(03)00046-1 · Cited by 404 · see citing works
Small Animal Critical Care Medicine
(2015) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/c2009-0-64067-8 · Cited by 275 · see citing works
Love, W. J., Lehenbauer, T. W., Kass, P. H., Van Eenennaam, A. L., & Aly, S. S. (2014) · PeerJ · doi:10.7717/peerj.238 · Cited by 228 · see citing works
The use of electrolyte solutions for reducing transport stress.
Schaefer, A. L., Jones, S. D., & Stanley, R. W. (1997) · Journal of Animal Science · doi:10.2527/1997.751258x · Cited by 194 · see citing works
Constable, P. D. (2000) · Veterinary Clinical Pathology · doi:10.1111/j.1939-165x.2000.tb00241.x · Cited by 174 · see citing works
Longitudinal study on morbidity and mortality in white veal calves in Belgium
Pardon, B., Bleecker, K. D., Hostens, M., Callens, J., Dewulf, J., & Deprez, P. R. (2012) · BMC Veterinary Research · doi:10.1186/1746-6148-8-26 · Cited by 170 · see citing works
Treatment of Calf Diarrhea: Oral Fluid Therapy
Smith, G. (2009) · Veterinary Clinics of North America Food Animal Practice · doi:10.1016/j.cvfa.2008.10.006 · Cited by 148 · see citing works
Renaud, D. L., Buss, L. N., Wilms, J. N., & Steele, M. A. (2020) · Journal of Dairy Science · doi:10.3168/jds.2020-18907 · Cited by 135 · see citing works
Self-citationThe welfare of calves during handling and transport
Trunkfield, H. R., & Broom, D. M. (1990) · Applied Animal Behaviour Science · doi:10.1016/0168-1591(90)90050-n · Cited by 118 · see citing works
Risk factors associated with mortality at a milk-fed veal calf facility: A prospective cohort study
Renaud, D. L., Duffield, T. F., LeBlanc, S. J., Ferguson, S., Haley, D. B., & Kelton, D. F. (2018) · Journal of Dairy Science · doi:10.3168/jds.2017-13581 · Cited by 118 · see citing works
Self-citationKnowles, T. G., Warriss, P. D., Brown, S. N., Edwards, J. E., Watkins, P. E., & Phillips, A. J. (1997) · Veterinary Record · doi:10.1136/vr.140.5.116 · Cited by 93 · see citing works
Bähler, C., Steiner, A. C., Luginbühl, A., Ewy, A., Posthaus, H., Strabel, D., Kaufmann, T., & Schüpbach‐Regula, G. (2010) · Research in Veterinary Science · doi:10.1016/j.rvsc.2010.10.009 · Cited by 87 · see citing works
Perspectives on the Management of Surplus Dairy Calves in the United States and Canada
Creutzinger, K. C., Pempek, J. A., Habing, G. G., Proudfoot, K. L., Locke, S. R., Wilson, D. J., & Renaud, D. L. (2021) · Frontiers in Veterinary Science · doi:10.3389/fvets.2021.661453 · Cited by 82 · see citing works
Self-citationBallou, M. A. (2012) · Journal of Dairy Science · doi:10.3168/jds.2012-5970 · Cited by 80 · see citing works
Effect on young calves of a one-hour feeding stop during a 19-hour road journey.
Knowles, T. G., Brown, S. N., Edwards, J. E., Phillips, A. J., & Warriss, P. D. (1999) · Veterinary Record · doi:10.1136/vr.144.25.687 · Cited by 79 · see citing works
Mortality risk factors for calves entering a multi-location white veal farm in Ontario, Canada
Winder, C. B., Kelton, D. F., & Duffield, T. F. (2016) · Journal of Dairy Science · doi:10.3168/jds.2016-11345 · Cited by 79 · see citing works
Self-citationParker, A. J., Hamlin, G. P., Coleman, C. J., & Fitzpatrick, L. A. (2003) · Journal of Animal Science · doi:10.2527/2003.8161434x · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Constable, P. D. (2014) · Veterinary Clinics of North America Food Animal Practice · doi:10.1016/j.cvfa.2014.03.001 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
Smith, G., & Berchtold, J. F. (2014) · Veterinary Clinics of North America Food Animal Practice · doi:10.1016/j.cvfa.2014.04.002 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Wickramasinghe, J., Kramer, A. J., & Appuhamy, J. A. D. R. N. (2018) · Journal of Dairy Science · doi:10.3168/jds.2018-15579 · Cited by 68 · see citing works
Characteristics of Veal Calves Upon Arrival, at 28 and 84 Days, and at End of the Production Cycle
Wilson, L. L., Smith, J. L., Smith, D. L., Swanson, D. L., Drake, T. R., Wolfgang, D. R., & Wheeler, E. F. (2000) · Journal of Dairy Science · doi:10.3168/jds.s0022-0302(00)74948-4 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
Performance and health responses of dairy calves offered different milk replacer allowances
Bach, À., Terré, M., & Pinto, A. (2013) · Journal of Dairy Science · doi:10.3168/jds.2013-6909 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
Schaefer, A. L., Jones, S. D. M., TONG, A. K. W., & Young, B. A. (1990) · Canadian Journal of Animal Science · doi:10.4141/cjas90-012 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
Invited review: The welfare of young calves transported by road
Roadknight, N., Mansell, P., Jongman, E., Courtman, N., & Fisher, A. (2021) · Journal of Dairy Science · doi:10.3168/jds.2020-19346 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
Marcato, F., van den Brand, H., Kemp, B., Engel, B., Wolthuis-Fillerup, M., & van Reenen, K. (2020) · Journal of Dairy Science · doi:10.3168/jds.2019-17445 · Cited by 62 · cited 6× · see citing works
“No differences were found with respect to glucose concentrations, which aligns with Marcato et al. (2020a) who found that dairy calves fed MR or an ORS before 18 h of transportation had similar glucose concentrations immediately after arrival.”
BackgroundResultInfluentialSilper, B. F., Madureira, A. M. L., Kaur, M., Burnett, T. A., & Cerri, R. L. A. (2015) · Journal of Dairy Science · doi:10.3168/jds.2014-9185 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Cantor, M. C., & Costa, J. H. C. (2022) · Journal of Dairy Science · doi:10.3168/jds.2021-20798 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Self-citationScott, K., Kelton, D. F., Duffield, T. F., & Renaud, D. L. (2019) · Journal of Dairy Science · doi:10.3168/jds.2019-16829 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
Self-citationUse of a Tri-Axial Accelerometer Can Reliably Detect Play Behaviour in Newborn Calves
Gladden, N., Cuthbert, E., Ellis, K. A., & McKeegan, D. E. F. (2020) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani10071137 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Wilson, D. J., Canning, D., Giacomazzi, T., Keels, K., Lothrop, R., Renaud, D. L., Sillett, N., Taylor, D., Huigenbos, H. V., Wynands, B., et al. (2020) · Journal of Dairy Science · doi:10.3168/jds.2020-18438 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Self-citationSchaefer, A. L., Jones, S. D. M., TONG, A. K. W., Young, B. A., Murray, N. L., & Lepage, P. (1992) · Livestock Production Science · doi:10.1016/0301-6226(92)90042-3 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Goetz, H. M., Creutzinger, K. C., Kelton, D. F., Costa, J. H. C., Winder, C. B., & Renaud, D. L. (2023) · Journal of Dairy Science · doi:10.3168/jds.2022-22366 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Self-citationMarcato, F., van den Brand, H., Kemp, B., Engel, B., Wolthuis-Fillerup, M., & van Reenen, K. (2020) · Frontiers in Veterinary Science · doi:10.3389/fvets.2020.576469 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Veal calf health on the day of arrival at growers in Ohio 1,2
Pempek, J., Trearchis, D., Masterson, M., Habing, G., & Proudfoot, K. (2017) · Journal of Animal Science · doi:10.2527/jas.2017.1642 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Cantor, M. C., Renaud, D. L., Neave, H. W., & Costa, J. H. C. (2022) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-022-08131-1 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Self-citationPisoni, L., Devant, M., Blanch, M., Pastor, J. J., & Marti, S. (2022) · Journal of Dairy Science · doi:10.3168/jds.2021-20878 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Risk Factors for the Development of Hypokalemia in Neonatal Diarrheic Calves
Trefz, F. M., Lorch, A., Zitzl, J., Kutschke, A., Knubben‐Schweizer, G., & Lorenz, I. (2015) · Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine · doi:10.1111/jvim.12541 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Rot, C., Creutzinger, K., Goetz, H., Winder, C., Morrison, J., Conboy, M., Bajus, A., & Renaud, D. L. (2022) · Preventive Veterinary Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.prevetmed.2022.105630 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Self-citationGoetz, H. M., Creutzinger, K. C., Kelton, D. F., Costa, J. H. C., Winder, C. B., Gomez, D. E., & Renaud, D. L. (2023) · Journal of Dairy Science · doi:10.3168/jds.2022-22367 · Cited by 20 · cited 6× · see citing works
“Limited access to feed and water during transportation has been shown to cause marked effects on fat mobilization, and as a result, feed deprivation during transportation is associated with a lighter body weight upon arrival to calf-raising facilities (Goetz et al., 2023b; Rot et al., 2021).”
BackgroundInfluentialSelf-citationMohri, M., Seifi, H. A., & Daraei, F. (2008) · Food and Chemical Toxicology · doi:10.1016/j.fct.2008.02.003 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Wilms, J. N., Echeverry-Munera, J., Engelking, L. E., Leal, L. N., & Martín‐Tereso, J. (2020) · Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition · doi:10.1111/jpn.13405 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Self-citationEffects of transportation duration on lying behavior in young surplus dairy calves
Bajus, A., Renaud, D. L., Goetz, H. M., Steele, M. A., Kelton, D. F., Proudfoot, K. L., & Creutzinger, K. C. (2023) · Journal of Dairy Science · doi:10.3168/jds.2023-23229 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Self-citationWilms, J. N., Carvalho, I. P., van Empel, M., & Martín‐Tereso, J. (2023) · Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition · doi:10.1111/jpn.13700 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Self-citationSteinhardt, M., & Thielscher, H.-H. (1998) · OpenAgrar · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Siegmann, S., van Dijk, L. L., Field, N. L., Sayers, G., Sugrue, K., Gort, G., van Reenen, C. G., Bokkers, E. A. M., & Conneely, M. (2025) · Journal of Dairy Science · doi:10.3168/jds.2024-26219 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
McCarthy, H. R., Chapelain, T., Pisoni, L., Kovacs, M., Echeverry-Munera, J., Wood, K. M., Renaud, D. L., & Steele, M. A. (2026) · Journal of Dairy Science · doi:10.3168/jds.2025-27741 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Self-citationGoetz, H. M., & Renaud, D. L. (2024) · Journal of Dairy Science · doi:10.3168/jds.2024-25012 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Self-citationCockram, M. S., Stryhn, H., Abdallah, A., & Buczinski, S. (2024) · Journal of Dairy Science · doi:10.3168/jds.2024-24769 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Siegmann, S., van Dijk, L. L., Field, N. L., Sayers, G., Sugrue, K., van Reenen, C. G., Bokkers, E. A. M., & Conneely, M. (2026) · Irish Veterinary Journal · doi:10.1186/s13620-026-00340-8 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“Evidence from transport studies [58, 63, 64] shows that feeding young calves within a shorter interval (e.g., within 1 h of loading) is generally well tolerated, although some guidelines recommend feeding calves at least 3 h before departure to allow for digestion and minimize risk of diarrhoea [7,…”
Swapping milk for electrolytes: investigating dairy calf activity and hunger after replacing a meal
Longer, M., Setser, M. M. W., Figueroa, G., Renaud, D. L., Costa, J. H. C., & Creutzinger, K. C. (2025) · Frontiers in Animal Science · doi:10.3389/fanim.2025.1694042 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Self-citationMartucci, I., Galanti, D., Sala, G., Gazzola, E., Compiani, R., Pravettoni, D., & Boccardo, A. (2026) · Preventive Veterinary Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.prevetmed.2026.106941
Siegmann, S., van Dijk, L. L., Field, N. L., Sayers, G., Sugrue, K., van Reenen, C. G., Bokkers, E. A. M., & Conneely, M. (2026) · Applied Animal Behaviour Science · doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2026.107136
- Authors
- Bajus, A., Creutzinger, K. C., Cantor, M. C., Wilms, J. N., Gomez Nieto, D. E., Steele, M. A., Kelton, D. F., & Renaud, D. L.
- Affiliations
- University of Guelph (CA)
- University of Wisconsin–River Falls (US)
- Pennsylvania State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Renaud, D.L.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Journal of Dairy Science
- Publisher
- American Dairy Science Association
- Published
- 2024-07
- Volume
- 107
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 4895-4914
- ISSN
- 0022-0302 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4391470344
- Cited by
- 8
- References
- 45
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 2
- FWCI
- 4.35
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Dairy Science (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (4430)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Animal health and immunology
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Agronomy and Crop Science › Ruminant Nutrition and Digestive Physiology
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Animal Science and Zoology › Effects of Environmental Stressors on Livestock
- Keywords
- oral rehydration solution, milk replacer, free fatty acids, beta-hydroxybutyrate, blood glucose, blood urea nitrogen, blood lactate, calf growth, calf health, calf behavior, lying behavior, respiratory diseases, diarrhea
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Animal Feed, Cattle, Diarrhea, Diet, Transportation
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
