DairyTalk 443: Which calves adapt quickly to automatic feeders - and how farms can identify them early - by Helmut Demmelhuber

This podcast episode is based on a scientific study examining how
calf behavior can predict successful adaptation to automatic milk
feeding systems. The findings show that calves which learn the
system successfully display distinct feeding patterns and higher
rewarded visits within the first days of training. Importantly,
drinking speed proved to be a weak indicator, while milk intake
and successful station use provided far more reliable signals.
The discussion highlights how farms could use behavioral
monitoring to identify struggling calves earlier and reduce labor
associated with manual training support. The study also
underlines that automated calf feeding increasingly depends not
only on technology itself, but on the ability to interpret
behavioral data effectively. With comments on a "Journal for
Dairy"-article (5/2026) by B. J. Bone and M. C. Cantor:
https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/action/showPdf?pii=S0022-0302%2826%2902857-2