Suckling and grazing behaviour of beef heifers and calves

Abstract

When using farm animals as experimental material it is frequently desirable to know their behaviour under normal conditions. For this reason aseries of observations was made on the suckling and grazing behaviour of beef heifers and calves. The herd was composed of 9 Aberdeen Angus, 10 Hereford × Aberdeen Angus, and 3 Aberdeen Angus × Jersey heifers. Observations covering a 24 hr period were carried out 10 times between birth and weaning. Suckling behaviour The majority of calves (84 per cent) suckled 3–5 times per 24 hr, and of these 38 per cent suckled 4 times. Intervals between sucklings tended to increase as the season advanced. Breed differences in suckling behaviour were noted. The Hereford × A.A. heifers suckled their calves more frequently but for a shorter time than the A.A. heifers. The A.A. × Jersey heifers had even shorter suckling times. The most regular suckling time was about daybreak. Grazing behaviour Observations were made on a herd basis. The number of heifers grazing, lying, or loafing was recorded every ½ hr. The main grazing periods occurred just after sunrise and in the late afternoon till just after sunset. There appeared to be 5–6 grazing cycles per 24 hr. There were 5 rest periods, the 2 most weil defined occurring on either side of midnight,. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.