The selection criteria for these animals was as follows: the calves had to originate from a minimum of two farm herds or sources; the calves had to have been weaned within 48 h of auction sale; the calves had to have been recently transported on a commercial carrier (in the present case the transport time was approximately 8 h); the calves had to have been exposed to handling and managed through a commercial auction facility and finally, the calves had to have been exposed to a time off feed and water since weaning of between 24 and 48 h.