Three housing types for neonatal dairy calves were compared on a commercial 1500-cow dairy in central California. Three types of housing were: 2.0 × 1.0 × 1.0m wooden hutch; 2.0 × 1.0 × 1.3m thermolded opaque polymer hutch with an outdoor pen 1.4 × 1.8; and 2.0 × 1A × 1.3m molded opaque polyethylene hutch with an outdoor pen 1.7 × 1.5m. Effects of type of housing on grain intake, growth, stress indices, and health from birth through 6 wk of age were studied from August through October. Results from 29 Holstein heifer calves showed no differences (P>0.05) in grain intake and average daily gain regardless of housing type. Red blood cell count, white blood cell count, hemoglobin concentration, and hematocrit showed no (P>0.05) housing effects and were within normal ranges. The stress parameters of cortisol and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio showed temporal effects (P<0.01) but not a housing effect.
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Higginbotham et al. (1997) studied this question.
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