DYNAMICS OF CORTISOL LEVELS IN CALVES AFTER THE END OF THE DURATION OF THE STRESSOR
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/naturaljournal.15.2026.4Keywords:
Ukrainian Black-and-White dairy breed, heifer, stress resistance, stress sensitivityAbstract
Stress in farm animals leads to a deterioration in productivity, overall viability, and also significantly affects the quality of the resulting products. The issue of animal welfare is relevant and requires in-depth study to prevent chronic stress. The aim of the research was to identify the characteristics of growth and dynamics of stress response in calves with different reactions to stress. The research was conducted in the herd of the Shevchenkivske research farm on calves of the Ukrainian Black-and-White dairy breed aged 2 months. To type calves according to the sign of sensitivity to stress, an eosinophilic test was performed, which takes into account the number of eosinophilic cells in blood samples of calves. The negative impact of stress on calf growth was shown. Throughout the entire growing period, a tendency towards the predominance of stress-resistant calves in terms of live weight was observed. This difference gradually increased with age, reaching a statistically significant level at the age of 12 months (+19 kg, P < 0.05). The difference between the absolute live weight gain indicators between groups of calves of different stress status was statistically significant (P < 0.05) in the period of 3.1–6.0 months. In terms of the average daily live weight gain, stress-resistant heifers were superior to their peers. With age, the difference in this indicator increased from 18 to 51 g. In the period of 9.1–12.0 months, the between-group difference in this indicator was statistically significant (P < 0.05). To study the features of the adaptive ability of calves, the duration of the manifestation of the stress reaction in calves after experimentally induced stress (moving calves to another room) was determined. The baseline (average before stress exposure) serum cortisol level was higher in the group of stresssensitive calves (18.0±2.59 ng/ml) compared to the stress-resistant group (12.2±2.21 ng/ml). The serum cortisol level of heifers sharply and significantly (P<0.001) increases 30 minutes after stress. Subsequently, the cortisol level gradually decreases to baseline: after 60 minutes – by 52% and 59%; for the group of stress-resistant and stress-sensitive calves, respectively. For the group of stressresistant calves, a faster recovery of the baseline cortisol level is observed (in 2 hours) compared to the stress-sensitive (12 hours). The obtained data on the dynamics of the cortisol level in the two groups of calves demonstrate the peculiarities of the development and attenuation of the stress reaction, which is relevant for determining the level of adaptive capacity of animals. That is why the determination of the individual reaction and duration of homeostasis disturbance in response to the stressor using biomarkers is of practical importance for early identification and typing of calves according to their sensitivity to stress. Differentiation of heifers according to the results of the eosinophil test at an early age is related to the level of cortisol in the blood serum. The presence of individual variability according to the sign of sensitivity to stress requires further research and may be the basis for the selection of young animals according to the sign of stress resistance.
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