This collection features three peer-reviewed reviews on improving the welfare of heifers and calves. The first chapter considers optimising reproductive management as a means of maximising dairy herd health and production. The chapter outlines the steps required to identify reproductive problems and limitations, as well as the emergence of monitoring technologies to detect changes to animal behaviour and patterns which can indicate the presence of disease. The second chapter summarises recent research addressing behavioural needs of pre-weaned calves and post-weaned heifers, encompassing aspects of social interactions and feeding, rest and comfort, as well as opportunities for other behavioural expression. The chapter also discusses the consequences of restricting these behaviours, such as the development of abnormal oral behaviours. The final chapter highlights the crucial role youngstock/calf management can play in optimising dairy herd health and welfare in the short-term and long-term. The chapter considers the impacts of calfhood nutritional management and calfhood diseases on subsequent dairy herd health, as well as the role of veterinarians in communicating best practice in youngstock management.

This collection features four peer-reviewed reviews on infertility and other reproductive disorders in dairy cattle. The first chapter discusses the physiology of the main impediments to fertility and management issues that need to be addressed to ensure good fertility of dairy cows. The chapter focusses on parturition and uterine health, the importance of the post-partum environment and the role of oestrus, as well as methods of establishing pregnancy and the effect of heat stress on cows' fertility. The second chapter considers recent developments in automated monitoring of livestock fertility and pregnancy, focussing on its implementation in dairy cattle production. The chapter explores the physiological basics of the reproductive cycle in dairy cattle and the use of artificial intelligence to monitor and report changes in animal behaviour. The third chapter reviews progress in understanding the role of genetics in addressing the decline in fertility rates in dairy cattle. The chapter discusses strategies to improve the reproductive performance of dairy cattle, including the use of different breeds, measures of fertility and genomic data. The final chapter reviews best practices to detect reproductive problems and limitations in dairy cattle. The chapter identifies key areas which are known to limit performance and provides strategies which can be implemented to optimise reproductive performance and maximise animal health.