Sociality in pre- and post-wean beef calves

Abstract

Bonding between beef cows and their calves is well established; however, social relationships between calves is less under­stood. In wild ungulates, young calf integration into the natal herd is typically facilitated by its dam based in part on her pre­existing social rank and relationships. Weaning stress occurs when calves are transitioned off milk to solid feed and are com­monly separated from their dam. Research is lacking on pref­erential relationships between calves during both the pre-wean and the post-wean periods. The objective of this study was to explore the relationships between calves during both the pre-wean and post-wean periods.