[Reactions of young cattle from a suckler herd to shorthaul transport by road--repeated investigations before and after permanent separation of young cattle from their dams. Plasma cortisol, biochemical, hematological variables, minerals and heart rate].

On 8 female young cattle from a suckler herd blood sampling (V. jugularis) and body temperature measurements (RT) before (U1; U11) and after transport (U2; U21) and on the next day (U3; U31) were combined with long term heart rate (HF) recording before (U1 to U3) and 23 d later (16 till 18 days) after permanent separation of the young cattle from their dams (U11 to U31). After weaning plasma concentrations of urea and Ca were greater and that of creatinine was smaller in young cattle than before. Characteristic heart rate values before transport and those of the 24-h-recordings were significantly smaller after weaning. Plasma cortisol concentrations before transport were increased (U1: 40.3 +/- 10.4; U11: 16.8 +/- 3.9 nmol/l) and they were only less further elevated after transport (U2: 52.6 +/- 19.5; U21: 33.4 +/- 18.3 nmol/l). On the next day cortisol values (U3: 33.3 +/- 23.7; U31: 12.5 +/- 5.8 nmol/l) were significantly smaller than the initial values. HF increased significantly with loading and with the start of transport comparing the characteristic heart rate values of the other periods of the transport process and the initial values before the transport and of the 24-h-recording after the transport process. Significant mean differences before and after transport could be found for body temperature, creatinine, urea, hematocrit, pO2, Ca, Mg, and Fe. Separation of young cattle from their dams had effects on some variables before transport but did not change the reaction of the animals to transport. Results show the significance of the events and their effects on the animals before transport and their timely relationship for the reactions of the animals during and after transport and the markedly interindividual variation of the reactivity of the young cattle.