How independent is the calf when born?

Answer 1

A calf is much more independent than a human baby, but much less than a baby spider. He is in quite a need for his mother's and the herd's protection, social needs and milk. He is very dependent on his mother's protection for the first few weeks of his life. His mother will hide him in among bushes or tall grass while she goes off and grazes, just like a mother deer does with her fawn[s]. He does not need to hide after he is a month old, and is able to keep up with and interact with her and other calves in the herd. As he grows older, he becomes less dependent on his mother, and learns to become almost fully independent when she weans him off or is "forced" to be weaned when the producer separates him and his other half-siblings from his and their mothers. A calf is weaned when he is 6 to 10 months old.