Abstract

Weaning is widely recognized as one of the most stressful practices within the beef industry, as calves are separated from their dams and must manage changes in environment, social structure, and nutrition. This process provides indicators of stress, including increased vocalizations, reduced feed intake, pacing, and a stop in weight gain. Traditional management strategies include fenceline separation, nose flaps, and abrupt separation. Some research has begun to investigate approaches that target the biological mechanisms underlying the physiological stress response. One approach involves the use of a maternal bovine appeasing substance (mBAS), a synthetic analog of pheromones produced naturally by lactating cows. This trial aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of mBAS in reducing stress during beef calf weaning. Data on calf weights and behaviors were collected over a two-week period. Our study included 58 Angus-influenced calves averaging 215.7 ± 31.45 kg of BW. Calves were administered either a 10mL dose of mBAS FerAppease (TRT; n = 28) or mineral oil (CON; n = 30) applied topically. Calves were moved to fescue-based pasture and observed for one hour for behavioral stress. Structured behavioral observations were collected on days 0, 7, and 14, and body weights were collected on days 0 and 14. No differences in BW were observed due to treatment. Vocalizations were lower in the TRT calves than the CON calves on day 0. These results indicate that while behavioral differences were observed, this did not result in improved weight gain.

Semester/Year of Award

Fall 2025

Mentor

Andrea K. Sexten

Mentor Department Affiliation

Agriculture

Access Options

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Scholars

Degree Level

Bachelors

Department

Agriculture

Presentation

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1kDdSzhvKftHVHR1g4c1bUoiB25KSXij6ENgYsVhRGWI/edit?usp=sharing

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