Posted 8:26 pm Sunday, December 04, 2011
Low Stress Cattle Handling
Safe and effective cattle handling has always been important. In the last few years there has been a move toward what has been called low-stress cattle handling or what some call Effective Stockmanship.
Dr. Ron Gill, Texas AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist, along with other industry leaders, has been teaching and demonstrating these low-stress techniques all across the country. Dr. Gill indicates that the role of a stockman is to create movement in cattle and then use position to control and manage that movement to the desired results. Creating and managing movement is key to achieving effective stockmanship.
There are five basic principles of cattle behavior that when used properly can improve the ease and speed of working cattle while reducing stress and increasing efficiency. These principles are:
• Cattle want to see you. Understanding how cattle see is basic to getting cattle to respond to your position. Cattle can see everywhere but directly behind them or a small blind spot in front of them.
Movement toward the blind spot behind them causes an animal to turn their head to keep you in their line of sight. This can be used to your advantage to change directions of cattle or to your detriment if you are trying to drive cattle straight. When working from behind, it is important to keep moving side to side to prevent cattle from turning in an effort to keep you in their line of sight.
Dr. Ron Gill, Texas AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist, along with other industry leaders, has been teaching and demonstrating these low-stress techniques all across the country. Dr. Gill indicates that the role of a stockman is to create movement in cattle and then use position to control and manage that movement to the desired results. Creating and managing movement is key to achieving effective stockmanship.
There are five basic principles of cattle behavior that when used properly can improve the ease and speed of working cattle while reducing stress and increasing efficiency. These principles are:
• Cattle want to see you. Understanding how cattle see is basic to getting cattle to respond to your position. Cattle can see everywhere but directly behind them or a small blind spot in front of them.
Movement toward the blind spot behind them causes an animal to turn their head to keep you in their line of sight. This can be used to your advantage to change directions of cattle or to your detriment if you are trying to drive cattle straight. When working from behind, it is important to keep moving side to side to prevent cattle from turning in an effort to keep you in their line of sight.
• Cattle want to go around you. This allows you to position yourself such that, when they do go around you, they are pointed directly at the gate or destination you had in mind. They will think it was their idea to go there.
• Cattle want to be with and will go to other cattle. A herding instinct is natural among ‘prey’ animals. There is safety in numbers and they know it. As stockman we can take advantage of this natural instinct as we work from the front of cattle. If you start the front of cattle moving the back will follow. This behavior is also why you should try to never leave one animal alone in a pen.
• Cattle want to return to where they have been. The natural instinct of a cow is to return to the last safe or comfortable place they were. Coupling this behavior principle with the previous three allow us to set cattle up to work for us. The simple principle of the return box or “Bud Box” helps capture and use this principle. It also works great in sorting and moving cattle from one coral to another.
• Cattle can only process one main thought at a time. If cattle are thinking about anything other than what you are asking them to do you will need to change their mind first before putting pressure on them. Fear is the biggest distraction, any perception that the handler is a ‘predator’ must be avoided.
Dr. Gill has said many times in these low-stress workshops that numerous others will handle your cattle after they leave your care. Bad habits and unruly behavior in cattle and humans are learned. To prevent these bad habits start cattle (calves) correctly. As Will Rogers once said, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” When working cattle correctly shouting, whistling, poking and prodding cattle is unnecessary.
For more, visit www.effectivestockmanship.com or www.ranchtv.org. Information in this article was adapted from the Extension publication titled Cattle Handling Pointers by Dr. Gill, Dr. Machen and C. Pate. Extension programs serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin.
Dr. Gill has said many times in these low-stress workshops that numerous others will handle your cattle after they leave your care. Bad habits and unruly behavior in cattle and humans are learned. To prevent these bad habits start cattle (calves) correctly. As Will Rogers once said, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” When working cattle correctly shouting, whistling, poking and prodding cattle is unnecessary.
For more, visit www.effectivestockmanship.com or www.ranchtv.org. Information in this article was adapted from the Extension publication titled Cattle Handling Pointers by Dr. Gill, Dr. Machen and C. Pate. Extension programs serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin.
