| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
ANIMAL PRODUCTION |
,2
* Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon S7N 5B4, Canada; and
and
Northern Agricultural Research Center, Montana State University, Havre 59501
2 Correspondence (and current address): Dept. Anim. and Range Sci., Box 30003 MSC 3-I, New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces 88003-0003 (phone: 505-646-2554; fax: 505-646-5441; e-mail: dwbailey{at}nmsu.edu).
Four trials were conducted to explore possible advantages of weaning beef calves in two stages compared with the traditional method of weaning by abrupt separation. In the two-stage treatment, calves were prevented from nursing their dam for a period (Stage 1) before their separation (Stage 2). Control calves nursed from their dams until they were separated. Calf weights and behavior were recorded before and after the separation of cows and calves. Following separation, calves weaned in two stages vocalized 96.6% less (P = 0.001) and spent 78.9% less time walking (P = 0.001), 23.0% more time eating (P = 0.001), and 24.1% more time resting (P = 0.001) than control calves. Compared with controls, two-stage calves had lower (P < 0.001) ADG when nursing was deprived (Stage 1), but greater (P < 0.001) ADG during the 7 d following separation. In Trial 3, calves weaned by the two-stage method had greater (P = 0.05) growth rates than control calves for 7 wk after separation, but no treatment effects on ADG were detected (P > 0.38) in Trials 1 and 2. Over the entire study period (before and after separation), ADG did not differ (P > 0.10) for both treatments. In Trial 4, calves weaned in two stages walked 1.3 km/d more (P < 0.05) during the 4-d period when nursing was prevented (Stage 1) and 5.8 km/d less (P < 0.05) during the 4-d period after separation than controls. Differences between treatments were the greatest in the 2 d after separation. On the first day after separation, two-stage calves walked 5.2 ± 0.5 km/ d, whereas control calves walked 16.7 ± 3.1 km/d. Calves weaned in two stages were less distressed than calves weaned by the traditional method of abrupt separation based on behavioral data, but overall calf ADG did not differ for either method in this study. Nutritional management of two-stage weaned calves during the nursing-deprived period should be evaluated in future research because poor pasture conditions may have decreased gains by calves weaned by the two-stage method in this study.
Key Words: Beef Cattle • Behavior • Calves • Growth • Weaning
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  C. Schichowski, E. Moors, and M. Gauly Effects of weaning lambs in two stages or by abrupt separation on their behavior and growth rate J Anim Sci, January 1, 2008; 86(1): 220 - 225. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. Berkeveld, P. Langendijk, J. E. Bolhuis, A. P. Koets, J. H. M. Verheijden, and M. A. M. Taverne Intermittent suckling during an extended lactation period: Effects on piglet behavior J Anim Sci, December 1, 2007; 85(12): 3415 - 3424. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. M. Loberg, C. E. Hernandez, T. Thierfelder, M. B. Jensen, C. Berg, and L. Lidfors Reaction of foster cows to prevention of suckling from and separation from four calves simultaneously or in two steps J Anim Sci, June 1, 2007; 85(6): 1522 - 1529. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
