Access to grooming brushes for lactating cows shows they help reduce stress, keep animals cleaner and limit injuries. They also limit damage to facilities caused by cows that otherwise rub their heads and bodies on gates, pen walls and edges of feed and water troughs.
New research says the same goes for young calves as well. The study, published in the Journal of Dairy Science, is the first to evaluate the use of stationary brushes among weaned dairy heifers. Oral manipulation of the brushes was also found to be an important element in heifer comfort.
Source: Dairy Herd Management, November 2, 2021. Link.