Understanding the emotional component of hunger associated with feed restrictions in dairy calves

This project is currently led by our PhD student Jillian Hendricks who explores what calves emotionally experience when subjected to feed restrictions. These are common in the dairy industry, with calves typically fed less milk and for a shorter period of time than they would desire. Previous research has shown that milk restrictions are associated with slower growth but a very limited research explored what this meant in terms of affective experience. Building up from a recent study where we showed that acute milk restrictions can lead to cognitive deficits in calves, we will now be exploring whether chronic milk restrictions limit calves' learning abilities and whether the 'feeling of hunger' can be made worse by social cues and competition between calves.