Development and application of a scoring system for septum injuries in beef calves with and without a nose flap

The weaning period is a stressful time for beef calves because they must quickly gain independence from their dam. Gradual methods of weaning, such as when the calf is fitted with a nose flap to prevent suckling, are known to reduce the behavioral and physiological indicators of stress. Nose flaps are held in place by the nasal septum and are worn for 4 to 7 d. In the present study, the objectives were to 1) identify if a plastic nose flap worn for 7 d caused nasal injuries, (2) identify if factors like calf body weight or septum size predict injuries or flap loss, and (3) create a scoring system that could reliably score wound characteristics. Eighty-two (N = 82) Angus and Angus-Hereford crossbred beef calves were randomly assigned to ‘Flap’ or ‘No Flap’ treatments. Calves weighed 247 ± 29 kg and those with a flap had septums that were 39 ± 2 mm (mean ± SD). Images were taken of each nostril before flap insertion, on the day of removal, and 6 d after removal. Wounds were scored for the..., Please see the details in the accompanying research publication., Please see the README file. , # Data from: Development and application of a scoring system for septum injuries in beef calves with and without a nose flap

The supplemental materials are referenced in the corresponding research publication and provide additional information and context for the experiment’s design and results. Raw data, RMarkdown files, and tables are presented as proportions and means, which is how the data were analyzed. 

## Description of the data and file structure

**Supplemental tables and figures:**

* Supplemental Table S1.xlsx *Current commercially available nose flaps for purchase in the United States. Description, type of flap, image1, manufacturer, and reported dimensions included. Images are from manufacturer or seller websites

*Supplemental Tables 2 and 3.pdf*

* Supplemental Table S2. *Current (as of 2022) research articles with nose flaps utilized in their method section. Included are the journal publication details, type of nose flap and dimensions reported, and the weight an...