Social facilitator cow and nose-flap device: Strategies to reduce stress of calves during weaning management.

Social facilitator cows promote better post-weaning adaptation than nose-flaps alone.

This randomized controlled trial evaluated two interventions to reduce weaning stress in beef calves: nose-flap devices (NF) and social facilitator cows (SF). Forty-eight cow-calf pairs were assigned to four treatment groups in a 2×2 factorial design. Nose-flaps were applied 13 days pre-weaning, social facilitator cows introduced 7 days pre-weaning, with physical separation occurring on day 0. Behavioral observations, body weight, and hair cortisol concentrations were measured at multiple timepoints. Results demonstrated that nose-flaps reduced vocalization, standing, and walking while increasing grazing behavior. Social facilitator cows similarly increased grazing and reduced suckling attempts and vocalizations. However, the combination of both interventions did not provide additive benefits. Importantly, hair cortisol levels—a physiological stress indicator—were significantly elevated post-weaning and higher in calves with social facilitator cows. Growth performance declined in the post-weaning period across all groups. The findings suggest that while individual interventions modestly improve behavioral responses to weaning, the social facilitator cow approach promotes faster post-weaning adaptation than nose-flap use alone.

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