02745naa a2200277 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001902400250006010000180008524501310010326000090023450000790024352019240032265000120224665000200225865000120227865000110229065000200230165000130232165300110233465300200234565300130236570000180237870000170239677300540241310510112019-10-15       2010    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d7 a10.1071/AN091362DOI1 aHÖTZEL, M.J.  aBehavioural responses of 6-month-old beef calves prevented from sucklingbinfluence of dams milk yield.h[electronic resource]  c2010  aArticle history: Manuscript received 9 October 2009, accepted 23 May 2010.  aAbstract: The objective of the present experiment was to compare the behavioural response of calves reared by cows of different milk yields to the prevention of suckling with the aid of nose-flaps that allowed the maintenance of social contact with the dam. Twenty Hereford or Hereford · Angus crossbred primiparous cows from a single herd remained with their calves suckling until the beginning of the experiment, in late summer?early autumn. Milk production was determined monthly during the lactation period and the pairs were selected according to the cows?milk production, for higher or lower milk yield (HMY and LMY, respectively). On Day 0, suckling was prevented by placing a nose-flap anti-suckling device on each calf for 11 days. Calf behaviour was recorded from Day ?3 to Day 5, using instantaneous sampling of individual animals in each group, and the calves were weighed monthly since birth, and on Days ?8 and 11. Bodyweight profiles for HMY and LMY calves were similar until Day ?8; from then on, up to Day 11, HMY calves lost weigh, whereas LMY calves gained weight. Suckling frequency before nose-flaps were fitted was similar for HMY and LMY calves. There was no relationship between the cow?s milk yield and the changes observed in behaviour. Apart from playing, all behaviours were affected by prevention of suckling. The distance between the calves and the dam, and the frequency of grazing and rumination, decreased after nose-flaps were placed, whereas vocalisations, suckling attempts, walking and standing increased. In conclusion, the behavioural responses to prevention of suckling did not differ between the 6-month-old calves reared by cows with high yields andthose withlow milk yields. The behavioural response of calvesthat were prevented from suckling but were kept with the dams indicates that the cessation of suckling contributes to the weaning distress of 6-month-old beef calves.  aBOVINOS  aCONDUCTA ANIMAL  aDESTETE  aESTRES  aGANADO DE CARNE  aTERNEROS  aCALVES  aMILK PRODUCTION  aSUCKLING1 aUNGERFELD, R.1 aQUINTANS, G.  tAnimal Production Science, 2010gv.50, p.909-915.