Analysis of Behavioral, Growth and Metabolic Indicators in Suckling Calves Under Outdoor Winter Rearing Conditions Using Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation
Jiachen Qu, Xiaojing Zhou, Jintao Liu, Zhaoyu Han, Yongli Qu

TL;DR
This study shows that Holstein calves raised outdoors in cold winter conditions can grow well and adapt without health issues, supported by a new method to assess cold stress.
Contribution
A novel AHP-FCE cold stress evaluation system was developed to quantify cold stress in calves under outdoor winter conditions.
Findings
Outdoor calves experienced mild cold stress but showed better long-term growth than indoor calves.
Twenty differential metabolites linked to energy metabolism were identified in outdoor calves.
No adverse health effects were observed in calves raised outdoors during the 60-day trial.
Abstract
This study explored winter rearing for Holstein calves via a 60-day trial (indoor 5 °C vs. outdoor −5~−28 °C). An AHP-FCE cold stress evaluation system was established, identifying outdoor calves in “mild cold stress”. During the 60-day trial period, outdoor-housed calves exhibited superior long-term growth performance and adaptive behaviors, with no adverse health effects observed, and 20 differential metabolites associated with energy metabolism were identified. The research supports optimized winter outdoor rearing in cold regions. This study aimed to scientifically assess cold stress in dairy calves and optimize winter rearing protocols. A combined approach of feeding trials, expert surveys, and multidimensional data analysis was used to evaluate the effects of outdoor (−5~−28 °C) and indoor (5 °C) environments on Holstein dairy calves. A 60-day controlled trial was conducted with…
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Taxonomy
TopicsEffects of Environmental Stressors on Livestock · Animal health and immunology · Microbial infections and disease research
