Context: Separation of a calf from its dam at weaning can cause stress behaviours such as excessive walking and vocalising. These behaviours combined with poor dry matter and water intakes during weaning can cause bodyweight loss in calves. We questioned whether adding a social facilitator cow to pens of calves weaned on pasture would decrease calf walking behaviours and prevent a loss in bodyweight.

Aims: We tested the hypothesis that a social facilitator (SF) cow at weaning would reduce the walking behaviours of calves and increase calf bodyweight.

Methods: Eighty Simmental × Angus heifer calves were allocated to four replications. In each replication, 20 heifer calves were randomly assigned to either the SF (n = 10) treatment in which calves were abruptly weaned and placed on pasture with a SF cow on the day of weaning (day 0), or to the control (CON, n = 10) treatment in which calves were abruptly weaned and placed on pasture without a SF cow. All calves had their bodyweight recorded and were blood sampled on Days 0, 1, 7, and 14 for non-esterified fatty acids and β-hydroxybutyrate concentration. To quantify and evaluate walking behaviours, all calves were fitted with an individual global positioning system collar that recorded calf location every 10 s for a 24-h period on Days 0, 7, and 14.

Key results: There was no effect for time spent walking (P = 0.07) or distance walked (P = 0.08), although the SF calves spent numerically less time walking and walked shorter distances on the day of weaning compared with the CON calves. There were no differences observed for calf bodyweight or average daily gain.

Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the addition of a SF animal at weaning does not affect the distance walked on the day of weaning or the time calves devote to walking.

Implications: It is unlikely that a SF cow will decrease the distance and time spent walking by calves enough to improve calf bodyweight.

背景：断奶时小腿与大坝分离会导致压力行为，例如过度走路和发声。这些行为加上断奶期间干物质和水分摄入不足会导致犊牛体重减轻。我们质疑在断奶的犊牛栏上添加社交促进母牛是否会减少犊牛的行走行为并防止体重减轻。

目的：我们检验了一种假设，即在断奶时一只社交促进者（SF）会减少小牛的行走行为并增加小牛体重。

方法：将80只西门塔尔×安格斯小牛犊分为4个重复。在每次复制中，将20只小牛犊随机分配给SF（n = 10）处理，在这种处理中，在断奶当天（第0天）将犊牛突然断奶并与SF母牛放牧，或将其分配给对照（CON ，n = 10）处理，将小牛断奶并放牧，没有SF母牛。记录所有小牛的体重，并在第0、1、7和14天采集血样以检测未酯化的脂肪酸和β-羟基丁酸酯的浓度。为了量化和评估步行行为，所有小牛都配备了一个单独的全球定位系统项圈，该环在第0、7和14天的24小时内每10 s记录一次小腿的位置。

关键结果：尽管与犊牛相比，SF犊牛在断奶当天的步行时间和步行距离短，但步行时间（P = 0.07）或步行距离（P = 0.08）均无影响。小牛体重或平均日增重没有差异。

结论：这项研究的结果表明，在断奶时添加SF动物不会影响断奶当天的步行距离或小牛专用于步行的时间。

含义： SF母牛不太可能会减少小牛走路的距离和时间，足以改善小牛体重。