Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t8hqh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T23:04:45.108Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effect of age at weaning on the physiological stress response and temperament of two beef cattle breeds

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2009

M. Blanco ,
I. Casasús  and
J. Palacio
M. Blanco
Affiliation:
Unidad de Tecnología en Producción Animal. Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón. Avda. Montañana, 930, 50059, Zaragoza, Spain
I. Casasús
Affiliation:
Unidad de Tecnología en Producción Animal. Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón. Avda. Montañana, 930, 50059, Zaragoza, Spain
J. Palacio*
Affiliation:
Departamento de Patología Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad de Zaragoza. C/ Miguel Servet, 177, 50013, Zaragoza, Spain
*
E-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of age at weaning and breed on the stress response of calves to weaning and their temperament. At calving, 14 Parda de Montaña calves and 14 Pirenaica calves were randomly assigned to either early weaning (at 90 days) or traditional weaning (at 150 days) treatment. During nursing, calves were allowed to suckle their dams twice a day for 30 min. After weaning, calves were placed in an adjacent barn without access to their dams, where they remained for 7 days. On day 8 after weaning, they were transported to a feedlot where they received an intensive diet. Blood samples were taken 168 h before weaning (baseline) and 6, 24, 48 and 168 h after weaning for cortisol, fibrinogen and haematology analyses, and temperament was measured 90 and 180 days after weaning with the flight speed test. Cortisol concentration increased after weaning, irrespective of age at weaning. Early-weaned calves had a lower fibrinogen baseline and a greater increase in fibrinogen concentrations 48 h after weaning than traditionally weaned calves. Moreover, fibrinogen concentration returned to baseline values 168 h after weaning in traditionally weaned calves, whereas it remained high in early-weaned calves. Concerning breed effects, Pirenaica calves had higher cortisol concentration and fibrinogen increments after weaning than Parda de Montaña calves. Slight alterations occurred after weaning in haematology, but all parameters returned to baseline values 168 h after weaning, with no significant effects of age at weaning or breed. Despite the absence of clinical signs, early-weaned calves of both breeds suffered marginal anaemia, according to haemoglobin values. Regardless of age at weaning, Pirenaica calves had greater reactivity to human presence than Parda de Montaña calves, according to their higher flight speed values measured. Finally, early-weaned calves were lighter than traditionally weaned calves at weaning, but had similar weight gains in the feedlot. Consequently, they needed an additional 40 days to reach the target weight, irrespective of breed. Therefore, age at weaning had no major effects on the stress response to weaning or temperament, but early weaning increased the length of the feedlot period. On the other hand, Pirenaica calves were more reactive than Parda de Montaña calves to the stress of weaning and human presence.

Keywords

age at weaningbreedcalveshandlingstress
Type
Full Paper
Information
animal , Volume 3 , Issue 1 , January 2009 , pp. 108 - 117
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Albertí, P, Sañudo, C, Campo, MM, Franco, J, Lahoz, F, Olleta, JL 1997. Características productivas de terneros de siete razas bovinas españolas. Información Técnica Económica Agraria 18, 745–747.Google Scholar
Arthington, JD, Eicher, SD, Kunkle, WE, Martin, FG 2003. Effect of transportation and commingling on the acute-phase protein response, growth, and feed intake of newly weaned beef calves. Journal of Animal Science 81, 1120–1125.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Arthington, JD, Spears, JW, Miller, DC 2005. The effect of early weaning on feedlot performance and measures of stress in beef calves. Journal of Animal Science 83, 933–939.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Boissy, A 1995. Fear and fearfulness in animals. The Quarterly Review of Biology 70, 165–191.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Boissy, A, Bouissou, MF 1988. Effects of early handling on heifers’ subsequent reactivity to humans and to unfamiliar situations. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 20, 259–273.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bueno, AR, Rasby, R, Clemens, ET 2003. Age at weaning and the endocrine response to stress. Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia 55, 1–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burrow HM, Sesifer GW and Corbet NJ 1988. A new technique for measuring temperament in cattle. In Proceedings of the Australian Association of Animal Breeding and Genetics, pp. 208–211.Google Scholar
Casasús, I, Sanz, A, Villalba, D, Ferrer, R, Revilla, R 2002. Factors affecting animal performance during the grazing season in a mountain cattle production system. Journal of Animal Science 80, 1638–1651.Google Scholar
Casasús, I, Blanco, M, Sanz, A, Bernués, A, Revilla, R 2006. Considerations on the impact of early weaning of fall-born beef calves on system efficiency and potential use of pastures. In Quality production and quality of the environment in the mountain pastures of an enlarged Europe (ed. K Biala, J Nösberger, G Parente and A Peeters), pp. 285–294. ERSA-Agenzia Regionale per lo Sviluppo Rurale, Gorizia, Italy.Google Scholar
Chacón, G, García-Belenguer, S, Illera, JC, Palacio, J 2004. Validation of an EIA technique for the determination of salivary cortisol in cattle. Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research 2, 45–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duncan, JR, Prasse, KW 1986. Veterinary laboratory medicine. Iowa State University Press, Ames, Iowa, USA, 285p.Google Scholar
Earley, B, Crowe, MA 2002. Effects of ketoprofen alone or in combination with local anesthesia during the castration of bull calves on plasma cortisol, immunological, and inflammatory responses. Journal of Animal Science 80, 1044–1052.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
EFSA 2006. The risks of poor welfare in intensive calf farming systems. EFSA Journal 366, 1–36.Google Scholar
European Union Directive No. 86/609/CEE 1986. Council Directive of 24 November 1986 on the approximation of laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States regarding the protection of animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes. Official Journal of the European Communities Serie L358, 1–32.Google Scholar
Fell, LR, Colditz, IG, Walker, KH, Watson, DL 1999. Associations between temperament, performance and immune function in cattle entering a commercial feedlot. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 39, 795–802.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fisher, AD, Crowe, MA, O’Nuallain, EM, Monaghan, ML, Prendiville, DJ, O’Kiely, P, Enright, WJ 1997. Effects of suppressing cortisol following castration of bull calves on adrenocorticotropic hormone, in vitro interferon-gamma production, leukocytes, acute-phase proteins, growth, and feed intake. Journal of Animal Science 75, 1899–1908.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
García-Belenguer, S, Palacio, J, Gascón, M, Aceña, C, Revilla, R, Mormède, P 1996. Differences in the biological stress responses of two cattle breeds to walking up to mountain pastures in the Pyrenees. Veterinary Research 27, 515–526.Google ScholarPubMed
Grandin, T 1997. Assessment of stress during handling and transport. Journal of Animal Science 75, 249–257.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Griffin, JF 1989. Stress and immunity: a unifying concept. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology 20, 263–312.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gwazdauskas, FC, Paape, MJ, Peery, DA, McGilliard, ML 1980. Plasma glucocorticoid and circulating blood leukocyte responses in cattle after sequential intramuscular injections of ACTH. American Journal of Veterinary Research 41, 1052–1056.Google ScholarPubMed
Haley, DB, Bailey, DW, Stookey, JM 2005. The effects of weaning beef calves in two stages on their behavior and growth rate. Journal of Animal Science 83, 2205–2214.Google Scholar
Henry, JP 1993. Biological basis of the stress responses. News in Physiological Sciences 8, 69–73.Google Scholar
Hickey, MC, Drennan, M, Earley, B 2003. The effect of abrupt weaning of suckler calves on the plasma concentrations of cortisol, catecholamines, leukocytes, acute-phase proteins and in vitro interferon-gamma production. Journal of Animal Science 81, 2847–2855.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
I.N.R.A. 1981. Alimentation des ruminants. INRA Publications, Versailles.Google Scholar
Krohn, CC, Boivin, X, Jago, JG 2003. The presence of the dam during handling prevents the socialization of young calves to humans. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 80, 263–275.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lefcourt, AM, Elsasser, TH 1995. Adrenal responses of Angus × Hereford cattle to the stress of weaning. Journal of Animal Science 73, 2669–2676.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Müller, R, von Keyserlingk, MAG 2006. Consistency of flight speed and its correlation to productivity and to personality in Bos taurus beef cattle. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 99, 193–204.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Myers, SE, Faulkner, DB, Ireland, FA, Parrett, DF 1999. Comparison of three weaning ages on cow-calf performance and steer carcass traits. Journal of Animal Science 77, 323–329.Google Scholar
Paape, MJ, Dejardins, C, Guidry, AJ, Müler, RH, Smith, VR 1977. Response of plasma corticosteroids and circulating leukocytes in cattle following intravenous injection of different doses of adrenocorticotropin. American Journal of Veterinary Research 38, 1345–1348.Google Scholar
Palacio J 2000. Estudio comparativo de la respuesta de adaptación de dos razas bovinas: Parda Alpina y Pirenaica. PhD, Zaragoza University, 314p.Google Scholar
Payne, JM, Payne, S 1987. The metabolic profile test. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 179p.Google Scholar
Phillips, WA 1984. The effect of assembly and transit stressors on plasma fibrinogen concentration of beef calves. Canadian Journal of Comparative Medicine 48, 35–41.Google Scholar
Phillips, WA, Juniewicz, PE, Zavy, MT, Von Tungeln, DL 1989. The effect of the stress of weaning and transport on white blood cell patterns and fibrinogen concentration of beef calves of different genotypes. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 69, 333–340.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pollock, JM, Rowan, TG, Dixon, JB, Carter, SD, Spiller, D, Warenius, H 1993. Alteration of cellular immune responses by nutrition and weaning in calves. Research in Veterinary Science 55, 298–306.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pollock, JM, Rowan, TG, Dixon, JB, Carter, SD 1994. Level of nutrition and age at weaning: effects on humoral immunity in young calves. British Journal of Nutrition 71, 239–248.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sanz, A, Casasús, I, Villalba, D, Revilla, R 2003. Ad libitum suckling delays resumption of ovarian activity in Brown Swiss cows but not Pirenaica cows. Reproduction in Domestic Animals 38, 360.Google Scholar
SAS 1990. SAS/STAT user’s guide, version 6, 3rd edition. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA.Google Scholar
Schwartz, A 1990. The politics of formula-fed veal calf production. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 196, 1578–1586.Google Scholar
Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare (SCAHAW) 2001. The welfare of cattle kept for beef production. In Dictorate General Health and Consumer Protection, Dictorate C – Scientific Health Opinions, Unit C2, SCAHAW. European Commision, Brussels, p. 150.Google Scholar
Smith, DL, Wiggers, DL, Wilson, LL, Comerford, JW, Harpster, HW, Cash, EH 2003. Postweaning behavior and growth performance of early and conventionally weaned beef calves. The Professional Animal Scientist 19, 23–29.Google Scholar
Stookey, JM, Schwartzkopf-Genswein, KS, Waltz, CS, Watts, JM 1997. Effects of remote and contact weaning on behaviour and weight gain of beef calves. Journal of Animal Science 75, 157.Google Scholar
Villalba, D, Casasus, I, Sanz, A, Estany, J, Revilla, R 2000. Preweaning growth curves in Brown Swiss and Pirenaica calves with emphasis on individual variability. Journal of Animal Science 78, 1132–1140.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wittum, TE, Young, CR, Stanker, LH, Griffin, DD, Perino, LJ, Littledike, ET 1996. Haptoglobin response to clinical respiratory tract disease in feedlot cattle. American Journal of Veterinary Research 57, 646–649.Google Scholar
Zavy, MT, Juniewicz, PE, Phillips, WA, Von Tungeln, DL 1992. The effect of initial restraint, weaning, and transport stress on baseline and ACTH-stimulated cortisol responses in beef calves of different genotypes. American Journal of Veterinary Research 53, 551–557.Google Scholar