The effect of weaning regimen on behavioral and production responses of beef calves

The objective of this experiment was to investigate the effect of method and timing of weaning on the behavior and DMI of calves throughout weaning, transportation, and a simulated receiving period. Cow-calf pairs (n = 30) housed in a common paddock were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments: preweaning by abrupt removal of the dam 5 d before transportation (AW-P), 2-stage weaning using nose flaps applied 5 d before transportation (2-STG), or abrupt weaning on the day of transport (AW-T). The experiment included 5 d of baseline measurement (BLN), a 5-d weaning period (WN), 4.5 h of transportation (TRANS), and a simulated receiving period encompassing two 1-wk measurement periods (REC1 and REC2, respectively). During the REC1 and REC2, calves were housed by treatment (n = 3). Pedometers were used to measure lying time and steps from BLN to REC1. During d 1 to 3 of WN, 2-STG calves took fewer steps than AW-P calves but more than AW-T calves (P < 0.001). The AW-P calves spent less time lying than 2-STG and AW-T calves only on d 1 and 2 of WN (P < 0.001). During REC1, AW-T took more steps (P < 0.001) on d 1 and 2 than both AW-P and 2-STG. The AW-T calves spent the least time lying during REC1 (P < 0.01). Dry matter intake during receiving did not differ among treatments. These data suggests that both method and timing of weaning affect behavioral responses during a simulated receiving period but do not affect DMI.