Disbudding of dairy calves, a common on-farm practice, results in pain-associated behavioral changes. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of disbudding on feeding behavior and use of a rotating brush in group-housed dairy calves. Holstein calves (n = 7) were placed in existing group pens at 2 wk of age (4 calves/group) and provided milk replacer (8 L/d) via an automated milk feeder and received grain concentrate and water ad libitum. Calves were disbudded by hot iron at 29.7 ± 3.3 d of age (mean ± SD). Milk intake and feeding behavior data were obtained from the automated milk feeder and brush usage was recorded continuously from video for 72 h encompassing the day before (d −1), day of (d 0), and day after (d 1) disbudding. Data were analyzed in a general linear mixed model with day as a repeated measure. Milk intake (7.2 L/d; SE = 0.44; P = 0.30) and frequency of rewarded visits to the feeder (6.2 visits/d; SE = 1.31; P = 0.30) did not change following disbudding. The frequency of unrewarded visits decreased on the day of disbudding (0.67 vs. 5.0 visits/d; d 0 vs. d −1; SE = 1.18; P = 0.036), but promptly returned to baseline (d −1 vs. d 1; P = 0.73). The frequency of using the brush to rub the head did not change after disbudding (32.0 times/d; SE = 4.7; P = 0.90), but calves rubbed their head for longer during each visit on the day of disbudding (46.1 vs. 27.1 s/visit; d 0 vs. d −1; SE = 3.23; P = 0.009). Brush usage returned to baseline on the following day (d −1 vs. d 1; P = 0.26). Disbudding did not influence the frequency (15.6 times/d; SE = 4.4; P = 0.26) or duration (16.0 s/visit; SE = 2.3; P = 0.17) of using the brush to rub parts of the body other than the head. These results reflect behavioral changes possibly associated with pain related to disbudding and suggest that access to a brush may provide comfort following disbudding.