Mutual sucking of dairy cattle
2001
Broucek, J. | Mihina, S. | Kisac, P. | Uhrincat, M. (Research Institute of Animal Production, Nitra (Slovak Republic))
The submitted paper is a review of the current knowledge of non-nutritive oral activities in cattle. Drinking milk is an incentive for mutual sucking of calves. The sucking becomes more intensive when the concentration of milk replacer and lactose is increased. The intersucking decreases when the non-nitrogen components are removed from milk replacer. The calves cross-suck the scrotum, ears and prepuce or udder most; mouth and tongue only immediately after drinking. The largest number of mutual suckings occurs just after drinking up, with the fall coming after a 10-minute restraint of animals. The intersucking can be induced by barren environment. The lowest frequency of mutual sucking was found in automate drinking. It is recommended to use an artificial teat with a small orifice in milk replacer rearing. Intersucking of dairy cows leads to milk loss, occurrence of mastitis and premature release of milk. Self-sucking is recorded in 1.5 % of all sucking animals. Sucking occurs before and after feeding and always after disturbance. There are also indications of genetic effects. The incidence of mutual sucking in heifers and cows decrease with age. A higher number of animals per feeding place and a reduced area per animal trigger intersucking. Mechanical and surgical methods are used to prevent mutual sucking. It is important to remove drawbacks in rearing (lack of sucking), in a housing and feeding technology, and in the structure of feed ration
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