Designing Cattle Facilities for Safe Cattle Handling

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Designing Cattle Facilities for Safe Cattle
Handling

• C. Kim Chapman
• Area Animal Scientist

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Safe Cattle Handling Why?

• Bruising from improper handling costs the
  industry 22,000,000 annually
• Shipping fever and excess shrink caused by
  improper handling causes economic impacts for
  various industry segments
• Understanding basics can reduce losses ? value
  and return to ALL segments of the industry!

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Facilities Basics

• Keep Facilities Equipment in good condition
• Watch for loose nails or boards
• Cause hide damage, bruises infections
• Corrals, pens chutes
• Proper size for numbers of animals
• Proper type for processing being carried out
• Barns and Corrals
• Clean and well ventilated
• Good drainage
• Avoid standing water or manure

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Handling Basics

• Processing should never be a race
• Bruising
• Injection-site damage
• Human injury
• Inaccurate or incorrect records
• Leave dogs in the truck!!!!
• Rough handling ? Stress ?
• Reduced vaccine effectiveness
• Lower conception rates
• Reduced immune and rumen function

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Cattle Vision

• Cattle have a wide angle of vision
• gt 300 degrees

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Cattle Vision, cont.

• Cattle have a wide angle of vision
• gt 300 degrees
• Solid walls
• Reduce distraction
• Movement can cause cattle to balk or become
  frightened
• Dark to Light
• No glares
• Spotlight on ramp or chute
• Paint should be uniform No contrasts

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Flight Zone

• Animals Flight Zone Personal Space
• Entering flight zone causes animal to move away
• Size of flight zone depends on
• How accustomed to being handled
• Familiarity with people
• Familiarity with surroundings/facility, etc.
• Edge can be determined by slowly walking up on
  the animal

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Flight Zone
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Flight Zone, cont.

• Penetrate too deeply ?
• Bolt and run
• Turn and fight
• Backing off ? Stop moving
• Best to work at the edge of the zone
• Cattle rearing in chute often caused by reaching
  over top of chute

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Hearing

• Loud noises should be avoided while handling
  cattle
• Rubber stops on gates and chutes
• Loud whistling and yelling just scares cattle
• Position hydraulic pump and motor away from
  squeeze

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Curved Chutes Solid Sides

• Curved Chutes
• Prevents animals from seeing too far ahead
• Takes advantage of natural tendency to circle
• Inside radius 13 to 16
• Straight alleyway
• Facilitates movement into a covered area
• Solid Sides
• Reduce likelihood of distractions slowing animal
  movement

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Additional Resources

• Cow-Calf Management Guide Cattle Producers
  Library CL 210 Reduction of Handling Stress
  Improves Productivity and Welfare
• Internet sites
• http//www.grandin.com/behaviour/principles/flight
  .zone.html
• http//www.grandin.com/behaviour/principles/acting
  .predator.stress.handling.html
• http//www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/aen/aen82/aen82.pdf
  Cattle Handling Facilities Planning,
  Components Layout, 36pp.
• http//www.mwps.org/index.cfm?fuseactionc_Categor
  ies.viewCategorycatID736categoryBeef

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Questions?????

• C. Kim Chapman
• 250 N. Main
• Richfield, Utah 84701
• 435-893-0474
• kim.chapman_at_usu.edu