REACTIONS OF YOUNG DAIRY CALVES AND OF YO UNG SUCKLER CALVES FROM THEMOTHER COW HERD EXPOSED TO TRANSPORT STRESS - EFFECTS OF AGE OF THE ANIMALS AND OF THE REARING CONDITIONS

Single box reared dairy carves (TK) and suckler calves (SK) from a mot her cow herd were exposed to uniformly performed short-haul road trans ports. Long lasting measurements by way of heart rate recording, body temperature, body weight and blood sampling before and just after fini shing transport and in the morning of next day as well were used asses sing the strain and adaptation of carves of 3 to 7 days, of 8 to 15 da ys and of more than 15 days of postnatal age. Blood samples were analy zed for acid base balance, gas content, haemoglobin derivatives and ha emoglobin variants, protein, metabolites, minerals and cortisol. Diffe rent mean values between age groups and sampling points could be found for heart rate, body temperature, pCO(2), BE, HCO3, total protein, cr eatinine, blood urea, glucose, lactate, cortisol, methaemoglobin, Mg, Ca, P. In suckler calves heart rate, body temperature, total protein, P and fraction of MetHb were higher and creatinine, lactate and cortis ol were lower than in dairy calves. Different means between sampling p oints existed for heart rate, cortisol, body temperature except SK > 1 5 days, lactate except SK 8-15 days acid glucose except TK 3-7 and TK 8-15 days. Results show relative intensity and degree of strain impose d to young calves in case of transport, the preferentially affected va riables and the importance of time factors (age of animals, infradian rhythmicity, relationship between the start of a reaction and concentr ation changes in body fluids) for the change of physiological variable s of young animals exposed to transport.