Following a pilot study, the aim of this study c was to test the hypothesis
whether occurrence of massaging tile anogenital region of a calf by a non-
maternal kind is a reliable indicator of adoption. adoption. Tire investiga
tion tons conducted between 28 May (1st day of calving) and 2 September (ab
rupt weaning of all calves) on a red deer farm at Vimperk, Czech Republic.
Fifty hinds and their calves were observed bur only complete data sets of s
ucking bouts were considered for evaluation. Massaging occurred mostly duri
ng the ist month of the calf's life. All filial calves were massaged repeat
edly. Other calves received ano-genital massage at least twice (termed adop
ted), on a single occasion or nor at all (termed non-filial). Filial and ad
opted calves behaved in a similar way but differently from non-filial calve
s, They sucked in an antiparallel standing position so that the hind could
lick their ano-genital region more often than the non-filial calves. This o
ccurred even when two calves were involved in rile bout. When two colors we
re involved in the sucking bout, non-filial calves sucked from behind, betw
een the hind's hind legs. This position occurred more frequently with non-f
ilial than among the filial and adopted calves. It was therefore concluded,
that repeated allonursing accompanied with massaging of the ano-genital re
gion of the sucking calf by the hind can be considered a signal of adoption
. Hinds usually adopted calves older than their own progeny The adopted cal
ves were on average 2.5 days old. This suggests that it is most likely the
calfs activity which leads to bonding. No reciprocity was found in allosuck
ing and/or allonursing. The fact that non-filial calves commonly initiated
allosucking from a non-maternal hind during the day when she gave birth app
eared crucial for establishing bonding which subsequently led to adoption.
Hinds may be bonded with several calves including their own. Therefore, bon
ding with a non-filial calf did not principally mean failure in looking aft
er their own progeny as shown in other studies.