# Relative telomere length in dairy calves and dams undergoing two different methods of weaning and separation after three months of contact

## TL;DR

This study examines how different weaning methods affect telomere length in dairy calves and their dams, finding no significant impact on calves but a possible trend in dams.

## Contribution

The study introduces a comparison of two weaning methods' effects on telomere length as a stress indicator in dairy cattle.

## Key findings

- No significant effect of weaning method on telomere length in calves was observed.
- Gradually separated dams showed a tendency for shorter telomere length compared to nose-flap separated dams.
- No correlations were found between stress indicators and telomere length.

## Abstract

Telomere length (i.e., the length of the repeated sequences of DNA at the end of chromosomes) is a promising indicator of overall stress. Our study aimed to compare the effects of a stress-inducing separation process between dams and their calves, with either a gradual or a nose-flap separation method after a three-months dam-calf contact since calving, on relative telomere length (RTL). Due to their nature, the nose-flap and gradual separation method have different effects on behaviour, stress hormone levels and physical development during and after dam-calf separation, which requires an overall measure of the weaning and separation stress during both procedures. We also investigated correlations between behavioural and other physiological stress indicators on RTL. We found no significant effect of the weaning and separation method on RTL in dairy calves after weaning and separation from their dams, but a tendency for shorter RTL in gradually separated dams compared to nose-flap separated dams. No correlations between behavioural and other physiological stress indicators and RTL were found, which may be due to a short interval between the two RTL measurement points. Future studies should aim to analyse the effect of various separation methods over a longer period and preferably include a non-separation group as reference.