The effect of confinement on motivation to exercise in young dairy calves

Abstract

The objective of this research was the characterization of the ontogeny of "damming up'' in 1-week-old calves. Holstein heifer and bull calves (N=48) were used in a factorial arrangement with two crossed factors. Factor A was housing with two levels (individual confinement vs. group pens) and factor B was hours in confinement with four levels (6, 12, 24, and 48 h). Individual confinement consisted of 1.06 X 1.06 m cages, while each group pen had a 3.68 X 6.09 m outside run and a 3.68 X 6.09 m covered area that also contained a 3.68 X 2.44 m area bedded with wood shavings. The calves were placed on treatment when they were 7 [] 2 days of age. At the end of the treatments a blood sample was taken for plasma cortical determination and lymphocyte counts and the calves were open-field tested for 5 min. Walk, trot, distance traveled and behaviors performed while standing were affected by housing (P = .0003, P = .01, P = .04 and P = .04), but not by hours in treatment. Hours in treatment showed a significant elect on kick, fall and lymphocyte count (P = .014, P = .025 and P = .029). Housing or hours in treatment did not aged canter, buck, buck-kick, rear, stumble, vocalization and cortical concentrations, The interaction between hours in treatment and housing was not significant for any of the variables tested. The results of this study suggest that two days may not have been enough time for the effects of close confinement to influence "damming up'' in young calves, or that calves averaging 7-days of age may be too young to display "damming up''.