Document type : Article from the Beef Site
Author: The Beef Site
Professor Grandin explains, "Give the cattle time. If the lead cow has her head down and is looking at something, wait until she lifts her head before you try to move her. You think you don't have time, but you don't have time for them to turn on you either! Good manipulation requires more walking and takes more time." [...]
Preview: Understanding cow behaviour and changing how you act around them can save you time, reduce stress, and make your farm a safer place to work. It can be a huge source of frustration when cows don't easily move when and where you want them to.
Globally respected animal behaviourist Professor Temple Grandin from Colorado State University shares her extensive knowledge about handling cattle and gives you some top tips that can be quickly adopted on farm.
To watch Professor Grandin's video presentation, click here.
Cows are sensitive to what they see and wary of anything they perceive as harmful. Head lifting, ears pinned back, defecating, tail twitching and white eye are all signs that they're afraid of something. Once they're frightened, it takes 20 to 30 minutes for them to calm down.
They're aware of the little things that we don't notice. Familiar items look safe from one angle but become an entirely new object when viewed from a different position. Younger, more inexperienced, animals are likely to react more.
A chain or piece of rope could be perceived as a snake. Shadows or sunlight shining on the ground will make cows hesitate and they can refuse to enter dark buildings. Making simple adjustments to allow more light into a building is one way to address these issues.
When cows are suspicious of standing water in a field, wait for the leader cow to look at the puddle and cross; the others will follow. The leader cow is usually a lone cow who needs to explore and has low fear. She's not the same as the dominant animal at the feed trough, that are happy to let someone else lead the herd.
A heifer's first experience of something must be made a positive one. Anything that causes her to associate an action with something negative will cause her to be reluctant to repeat that action. A yoke bumping her head or slipping over in the parlour are both avoidable with calm handling and rewards can be given to reinforce a positive outcome.
Prof. Grandin explains: "Give cattle time. If the leader cow has her head down, looking at something, wait until she lifts her head before you try to move them. You think you haven't got time, well you also haven't got time for them to turn back on you! Good handling requires more walking and takes more time. […]
Prof. Grandin identifies four areas to reduce stress during handling:
- Non-slip flooring [...]
- No sudden or jerky motions [...]
- Optimise pressure [...]
- Block vision
