What is breakaway behaviour?

When calves are fed from a fast flow teat they can struggle with the high flow of milk and will come off the teat (break away) and either drop their head and cough or try to find another teat that is more comfortable. 


Why is it a problem?

Breakaway behaviour disrupts the feeding time and can influence the milk volume the calf uptakes. For calves fed in groups this can lead to unequal milk intake.  Breakaway behaviour can contribute to extra training time.


How to fix it:

When calves are delivered milk with a controlled flow, break away behaviour is reduced to the occasional repositioning.

  • ‘Young calves fed with fast teats exhibit ‘break away’ behaviour, whereby they release the teat and back off from feeding every now and then during the feeding period, and are harder to get started on the calf feeder at one day old.This may be due to satiety being reached faster, hence they ‘re not wanting to consume the milk in one sitting.For calves fed using the slow teats, these do not show so much of this behaviour, and appear to be easier to start on the teats at a young age’. Source - LWT Animal Nutrition

The Take-Home Message

Calves fed with a slower flow are more settled during and after feeding. Milk Bar™ Teats deliver milk at the correct speed for more comfortable feeding.