Reaction patterns of animals to events they are or they are not familiarized with. Transport and temporary separation of suckler calves from the mother cow herd at different periods of their life age and effects on metabolicand hematological variables and acoustic signals of the animals

A total of 31 suckler calves (20 male and 11 female animals) of the mother cow herd (German Red and White breed) were used for temporary separation ex periments about 60 to 90 min duration at different life ages of calves. Sep aration procedure consisted of following parts: Catching the calf within th e herd and forcing it, to go with the experimentor out of the barn, manipul ations like fitting the heart rate recording device, blood and saliva sampl ing, measuring body temperature, loading the calf on the transporter, short haul road transport, isolation in a small room for 60 to 90 min, blood and saliva sampling, body temperature recording, back transport. Long lasting measurements of heart rate and audio-video recording were combined with blo od analysis of samples taken at the start of experiment (A) and at the end of isolation period (B). Body temperature, total protein, creatinine, blood urea, P, Ca, Mg, Fe, O(2)CAP, Hb, Hk and COHb were of high individual spec ificity and did not change between A and B. Other variables like pH, pCO(2) , pO(2), base excess, HCO3,O2CONT, O(2)SAT, HHb, MetHb and Albumin changed markedly between A and B and in an individually different degree. Digital s ound recordings taken from dams and calves were processed with computer aid , prepared for technical-physical analysis, stored within a sound archiv an d used for play back experiments testing reactivity and reaction patterns o f animals in different developmental and functional states. Results provide a good basis for reliable assessment of excitation and activity states (de gree and duration) of dams and their calves and for testing the role and si gnificance of auditory cues in biocommunication of cattle at specific devel opmental, functinal and adaptation stages.