{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T04:30:48Z","timestamp":1787027448205,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":58,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"13","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,21]],"date-time":"2023-06-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1687305600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"DairyTas Small Grant, the 2019 RSPCA Hugh Wirth Scholarship"},{"name":"Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study aimed to determine the effects of early-life physical and social enrichment on the ability of dairy heifers to integrate into a herd of mature cows. Fifty heifer calves were reared from the ages of 2\u201313 weeks in one of three treatments: (1) Hand-reared and group-housed in sheds (CC); (2) Hand-reared and group-housed at pasture (\u2212S); or (3) Hand-reared and group-housed at pasture, with 3 non-familial dry cows per group (+S). At 23 months of age, these heifers were introduced in groups to small herds of cows (Cows) at pasture. Social interactions were recorded continuously for two 1-h periods. Feeding, ruminating and resting behaviours of all animals and walking, standing and lying behaviours of 36 heifers only (+S = 14, \u2212S = 13, CC = 9) were recorded for 48 h after mixing. Heifers that were managed as calves according to the CC treatment delivered less agonistic behaviour to other heifers after mixing than those reared in the +S or \u2212S treatments (p = 0.002 and p = 0.041, respectively). On Day 2, +S heifers and cows spent the lowest proportion of time feeding (p = 0.961), with \u2212S heifers spending significantly more time feeding than cows (p = 0.046), while CC heifers spent more time feeding than both +S heifers and cows (p = 0.027 and p &lt; 0.002, respectively). Increasing the complexity of the early-life environment, particularly socially, may aid heifers in integrating into groups of multiparous cows later in life and shape their lifelong social experiences with same-age conspecifics.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani13132049","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,22]],"date-time":"2023-06-22T01:49:32Z","timestamp":1687398572000},"page":"2049","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Contact with Mature Cows and Access to Pasture during Early Life Shape Dairy Heifer Behaviour at Integration into the Milking Herd"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1418-9487","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Laura A.","family":"Field","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Animal Welfare Science Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7752-8917","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lauren M.","family":"Hemsworth","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Animal Welfare Science Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7504-0280","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ellen","family":"Jongman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Animal Welfare Science Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4677-535X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cameron","family":"Patrick","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Statistical Consulting Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3971-4161","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Megan","family":"Verdon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 3523, Burnie, TAS 7320, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"723","DOI":"10.1071\/AN22248","article-title":"A review of factors affecting the welfare of weaned replacement heifers in pasture-based dairy production systems","volume":"63","author":"Verdon","year":"2023","journal-title":"Anim. 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