New Insights on Calf Transport

Transportation is stressful for young calves. They may go long periods without milk or water; they are mixed with unfamiliar calves; and they are exposed to new environments and changing temperatures. These stressors can affect calf growth, health, and overall performance, making careful planning prior to transport essential.

Calf Age at Transport

Most calves in the United States are transported before they are a week old (Shivley et al., 2019), and some even within 24 hours of birth (Cramer et al., 2024). Because young calves have immature immune systems, they are highly susceptible to disease. While it might be convenient to transport calves soon after birth, research shows that waiting a little longer can improve health outcomes and reduce mortality (Marcato et al., 2022; Goetz et al., 2023).

For example, one study found that calves older than 10 days at transport had lower odds of abnormal respiratory scores compared with those transported at 2-6 days (Goetz et al., 2023). In this same study, calves transported at 13-24 days were also less likely to be dehydrated or to have diarrhea at the calf raiser than those transported at 6-8 days. Another study reported that transporting calves at 28 days reduced mortality by about half compared with transporting them at 14 days (Marcato et al., 2022). Together, these findings suggest that older calves tend to be more robust and better prepared to succeed at the calf raiser.

Nutrition Prior to Transport

Calves can be transported for up to 28 consecutive hours under federal law (United States Government, 2011), making pre-transport nutrition critical. A recent study showed that calves fed 1.5 L of milk replacer before a 6-hour trip had higher glucose and lower non-esterified fatty acids – indicators of better energy status – compared with calves fed 1.5 L of electrolytes (Marcato et al., 2020). Milk-fed calves also gained nearly a pound during transport, while electrolyte-fed calves lost about half a pound.

Feeding calves a milk meal right before transport (Marcato et al., 2020) or during a rest stop (Bajus et al., 2024) can help maintain their energy levels and support better post-arrival health.

Evaluating Fitness for Transport

Studies show that many calves arrive at calf‑raising facilities already dealing with issues like dehydration, diarrhea, navel infections, or appearing dull and depressed (England et al., 2023; Pempek et al., 2024). Research examining calves on the dairy farm before transport found that calves with navel infections were more likely to need treatment for diarrhea (Wilson et al., 2020). The same study also showed that calves appearing dull or depressed before transport faced a much higher risk of dying once they reached the calf raiser (Wilson et al., 2020).

To reduce these risks, only calves that have received adequate colostrum and appear bright, alert, and healthy should be transported. Before loading calves onto a trailer, ensure they do not show signs of illness such as fever, cough, rapid breathing, eye or nasal discharge, diarrhea, lameness, or dehydration.

Body weight at transport also matters. Heavier calves consistently have lower disease and mortality risk, especially during the first three weeks post-arrival. Schinwald et al. (2022) found that an increase of just two pounds at arrival was associated with fewer days of diarrhea and a reduced risk of death.

Transport Duration

It is important to keep transport as short as possible. One study reported that calves transported for 6 hours had fewer health issues and less metabolic stress than calves transported for 12 or 16 hours (Goetz et al., 2023). Calves in the 16‑hour group experienced the most weight loss and illness after arrival, highlighting the increased risks of long hauls.

Stress during transport can weaken the immune system, and long periods without feed force calves to rely on limited body fat stores for energy (Van Dijk et al., 2025), further reducing their ability to fight disease.

While we can't eliminate every challenge associated with transport, following research-based practices can improve calf health and set the stage for successful rearing.

References

Bajus, A., K.C. Creutzinger, M.C. Cantor, J.N. Wilms, D.E.G. Nieto, M.A. Steele, D.F. Kelton, and D.L. Renaud. 2024. Investigating nutritional strategies during a rest period to improve health, growth, and behavioral outcomes of transported surplus dairy calves. J. Dairy Sci. 107:4895–4914. doi.org/10.3168/jds.2023-23973.

Cramer, M.C., E. Machuca, I.N. Román-Muñiz, and L.N. Edwards-Callaway. 2024. Preliminary exploration of the health and behavior around the time of transportation of beef × dairy calves and Holstein bull calves 3 days of age or younger in the western United States. J. Dairy Sci. 107:2454–2464. doi.org/10.3168/jds.2023-23886.

England, Z.A., H.L. Maggard, A.D. Fisher, N.W. Roadknight, and J.A. Pempek. 2023. Condition of bob veal calves on arrival at an abattoir in Ohio. Anim. Welf. 32:e7. doi.org/10.1017/awf.2022.8.

Goetz, H.M., K.C. Creutzinger, D.F. Kelton, J.H.C. Costa, C.B. Winder, and D.L. Renaud. 2023. A randomized controlled trial investigating the effect of transport duration and age at transport on surplus dairy calves: Part I. Impact on health and growth. J. Dairy Sci. 106:2784–2799. doi.org/10.3168/jds.2022-22366.

Marcato, F., H. van den Brand, B. Kemp, B. Engel, M. Wolthuis-Fillerup, and K. van Reenen. 2020. Effects of pretransport diet, transport duration, and type of vehicle on physiological status of young veal calves. J. Dairy Sci. 103:3505–3520. doi.org/10.3168/jds.2019-17445.

Marcato, F., H. Van Den Brand, B. Kemp, B. Engel, S.K. Schnabel, F.A. Hoorweg, M. Wolthuis-Fillerup, and K. Van Reenen. 2022. Effects of transport age and calf and maternal characteristics on health and performance of veal calves. J. Dairy Sci. 105:1452–1468. doi.org/10.3168/jds.2021-20637.

Pempek, J.A., Z. England, G.G. Habing, and A. Niehaus. 2024. Rehydration post-transport: duration of oral fluid therapy on behavior, biochemical measures of hydration, and health of neonatal dairy calves. J. Anim. Sci. 102:skae011. doi.org/10.1093/jas/skae011.

Schinwald, M., K. Creutzinger, A. Keunen, C.B. Winder, D. Haley, and D.L. Renaud. 2022. Predictors of diarrhea, mortality, and weight gain in male dairy calves. J. Dairy Sci. 105:5296–5309. doi.org/10.3168/jds.2021-21667.

Shivley, C.B., J.E. Lombard, N.J. Urie, D.M. Weary, and M.A.G. von Keyserlingk. 2019. Management of preweaned bull calves on dairy operations in the United States. J. Dairy Sci. 102:4489–4497. doi.org/10.3168/jds.2018-15100.

United States Government. 2011. Title 49—Section 80502—Transportation of Animals. Pages 1219–1220. Government Printing Office. Accessed February 25, 2026.

Van Dijk, L.L., S. Siegmann, N.L. Field, K. Sugrue, C.G. Van Reenen, E.A.M. Bokkers, M. Conneely, and G. Sayers. 2025. Observational study: effect of varying transport durations and feed withdrawal on the physiological status and health of dairy calves. Ir. Vet. J. 78:1–15. doi.org/10.1186/s13620-025-00287-2.

Wilson, D.J., J. Stojkov, D.L. Renaud, and D. Fraser. 2020. Risk factors for poor health outcomes for male dairy calves undergoing transportation in western Canada. Can. Vet. J. 61:1265–1272.