Anim. Behav., 1982, 30, 525-535 BEHAVIOURAL INTERACTIONS OF DAIRY COWS WITH THEIR NEWBORN CALVES AND THE EFFECTS OF PARITY BY S. A. EDWARDS* & D. M. BROOM Department of Zoology, University of Reading, Reading RG6 2AJ Abstract. Continuous observations of 82 individually penned Friesian cows and their calves were made during the first 6 h post partum. The behaviour observed was similar to that described for wild ungu- lates of the 'hider' type. Cows showed a marked decrease in calf-directed activities with time after parturition. This was more pronounced in older animals, which recommenced ingestive behaviour sooner. The incidence of licking and other maternal behaviour depends upon the characteristics of the calf and upon the state of the mother. Close proximity between cow and calf was maintained, in small calving pens, by the mother at the first three calvings but by the calf after these. The eating of the afterbirth is considered to be anti-predator behaviour. Calves of primiparous dams spent more time suckling and suckled from more quarters than did calves of older cows. Primiparous dams showed a higher incidence of abnormal maternal behaviour. Detailed studies of maternal behaviour in species with precocial young are far outnumbered by those concerning altricial young, especially rodents and lagomorphs (Richards 1967), cats (Schneirla et al. 1963) and primates (Hinde 1974). Such studies are difficult to carry out on wild animals since close observation is generally im- possible without causing disturbance. Detailed behavioural observations are difficult to make from a distance, since parturition frequently takes place in an area concealed by vegetation or within a group of conspecifics. These problems are minimized when studying domestic animals. Conditions on a farm are more standardized than in the wild, although the precise environ- mental control exercised in laboratory studies cannot be achieved. The animals are accustomed to the close proximity of humans and are thus less likely to be disturbed by an observer. Domestication of cattle probably began 6000-8000 years ago (Zeuner 1963). In more recent times direct selection for either meat or milk production has resulted in divergent evolu- tion into distinct beef and dairy breeds. In dairy cattle man has selected against some aspects of maternal behaviour, since the cow must let down milk in the absence of her calf and must be amenable to early handling of the calf and separation from it. Calves are generally removed from their dana at or soon after birth, and reared artificially. Itence the deleterious effects on the calf of poor maternal behaviour will be brief. It is thus of interest to compare the maternal behaviour of dairy cattle with that recorded for *Present address: MAFF, Boxworth Experimental Hus- bandry Farm, Boxworth, Cambs. wild ungulates which have not been subjected to human selection on farms. The first few hours following parturition are especially important in ungulates. There appears to be a critical period during which specific mother-infant ties are established and after which all unrecognized iN'ants are rejected (Herscher et al. 1963; Le Neindre & Garel 1976; Hudson & Mullord 1977). In addition, the latency to first suckling determines the level of passive immunity achieved by the neonate and hence its subsequent likelihood of contracting infectious diseases (Selman et al. 1970c). Walker (1950) published an account of the behaviour of three calves during the first 4 days of life. A more extensive study was carried out by Selman et al. (1970a, 1970b), who observed 30 cows and their calves during the first 8 hpost partum. However the 20 dairy animals in this study were admitted to the research location only within the last few days of gestation and little information on their background was available. Broom & Leaver (1977) reported on the behaviour of dairy heifers and their calves, but based their results on relatively short obser- vation periods at some time during the first 10 h post partum. In the present study the behaviour of both cow and calf during the first 6 h post partum is described in detail. A large number of animals were observed under the same management conditions on a commercial farm. Methods Following a pilot study on cows calving in a field, 82 Friesian cows and their calves were ob- 525