Comparison of stress-related physiological and behavioral changes in beef cows subjected to 3 weaning methods.
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Objective: This study evaluated physiological and behavioral responses to weaning stress in beef cows using 3 weaning methods, comparing pre- and post-weaning changes within cows, determining correlations between sensor ear tags and visual data, and exploring associations between fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGM) concentrations and behavioral indicators of stress. Animals and procedure: Cow-calf pairs were weaned and assigned using abrupt (AW), nose-flap (NF), or fenceline (FL) methods, in consecutive groups of 30 pairs per method. Data were collected from 3 d before weaning (D-3) to 7 d post-weaning (D7). CowManager (Agis Automatisering) ear tags measured time spent on behaviors, whereas in-person observations identified vocalization, eating, walking, pacing, standing, and lying conducted in 30-second instantaneous samplings at 40-minute intervals, 6× daily. Saliva and fecal samples were collected from D-1 to D3 for cortisol and FGM analyses. Statistical analyses were based on within-cow behavioral changes (Δ) between pre- and post-weaning and analyzed using multilevel regression models, depending on outcomes. Results: < 0.001). Conclusion and clinical relevance: Cows subjected to NF weaning generally exhibited smaller deviations from baseline in activity, walking, and vocalization, whereas cows in the FL weaning group had increased activity and elevated FGM concentrations on specific post-weaning days. Behavioral and physiological indicators did not consistently align. This and limited agreement between CowManager-derived data and visual observations underscores the importance of methodological considerations but provides opportunities for management decisions aimed at weaning-related stress reduction. Because weaning methods were implemented sequentially, without treatment-level replication, findings represented cohort-specific group trends rather than definite evidence of treatment superiority, and should be interpreted cautiously.
Source: PubMed
Authors: Sanjaya Mijar, Frank van der Meer, Ed Pajor, Susan Pyakurel, Sulav Shrestha, Gabriela F Mastromonaco, Karin Orsel
Institutions: University of Calgary, Toronto Zoo
Language: English
Subfield: Small Animals
Field: Veterinary
Domain: Health Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7210295692
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