Initiatives and behavioral sequence of maternal behavior in Japanese Black and Japanese Shorthorn cattle (Bos taurus)

Maternal grooming (MG), nursing (NS) and mother-infant behavior 5 min before (IB5) and immediately before (LIB) maternal behavior were observed in Japanese Black (JB) and Japanese Shorthorn (JS) cow-calf pairs. During MG of the JB, the number of calf's IB5 was more than that of cows, but the duration of the MG positively correlated with the number of cow's IB5. During MG of the JS, the duration positively correlated with the number of calf's IB5. The number of the NS with calf's LIB and the number of calf's IBS in the NS were more than those of cows in both breeds. The duration of the NS tended to correlate with the number of calf's IBS in the JS. Main behavior sequence was observed like cow's approach, MG, calf's contact and NS, in this order, in both breeds. It is thought that the MG is released by cow's and calf's activities in both breeds and accelerated by the cow's activeness in the JB and by the calf's activeness in the JS, and that the NS is released and accelerated by the calf's activeness in JS.