Ballyrichard House, Arklow, Co. Wicklow, Ireland.
J Dairy Res. 2020 Aug;87(S1):101-107. doi: 10.1017/S0022029920000436. Epub 2020 Jul 29.
The relationship between the cow and calf develops over time after birth. The behavioural mechanisms underlying its development are important and comparisons with other species may increase our understanding. In nature the cow will separate herself from the herd to give birth and then the cow-calf relationship will develop with the ability to recognise each other. While twinning levels are low in cows, they do rear their twin calves. If the calf is lost at or after birth the cow can be responsive towards other calves and in specific circumstances the cow can develop a maternal bond with an alien calf, i.e. foster. In this Research Reflection a distinction is made between the development of, on the one hand, maternal responsiveness (the tendency of the cow to care for a calf which occurs before birth) and, on the other hand, the development of the maternal-filial bond or relationship which is reciprocal, occurs after birth and is characterised by the ability to discriminate the mother's own calf from alien calves. These processes can overlap and the relationship between cow and calf in this 'hider' species is more plastic than in some other mammals. For example, a cow might form an attachment with an alien calf before she gives birth. After the cow has given birth the loss of her own calf may result in the state of maternal responsiveness being maintained, such that developing a maternal bond with one or several appropriate alien calves is possible. Viable fostering techniques are possible. If a maternal relationship to the mother's own calf has developed then fostering will be more difficult. If the cow's relationship with her own calf is not exclusive, and she is in a state of maternal responsiveness then fostering of calves of an appropriate age and status can be achieved.
牛和小牛的关系是在出生后随着时间的推移发展起来的。其发展的行为机制很重要，与其他物种的比较可能会增加我们的理解。在自然界中，奶牛会与牛群分开分娩，然后牛和小牛的关系将随着识别彼此的能力而发展。虽然奶牛的双胞胎比例较低，但它们确实会抚养双胞胎小牛。如果小牛在出生时或出生后丢失，奶牛可能会对其他小牛有反应，在特定情况下，奶牛可以与外来小牛建立母性纽带，即寄养。在这篇研究反思中，一方面区分了母性反应性（奶牛在出生前照顾小牛的倾向）的发展，另一方面区分了母性-亲子纽带或关系的发展，这种关系是相互的，发生在出生后，其特征是能够区分母亲自己的小牛和外来的小牛。这些过程可能会重叠，这种“隐藏”物种中牛和小牛之间的关系比其他一些哺乳动物更具弹性。例如，奶牛可能在分娩前与外来小牛建立依恋关系。奶牛分娩后，如果失去自己的小牛，可能会保持母性反应性的状态，从而有可能与一个或多个合适的外来小牛建立母性纽带。可行的寄养技术是可能的。如果与母亲自己的小牛建立了母性关系，那么寄养就会更加困难。如果奶牛与自己的小牛的关系不是排他的，并且她处于母性反应状态，那么可以实现对适当年龄和地位的小牛的寄养。
