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Caregiver Contribution to Cattle Well-Being By: Dr. Noffsinger By: Dr.Tom Tom Noffsinger, Production Animal Consultation Cattle caregivers have exciting obligations, responsibilities, and opportunities to contributeobligations, to cattle Cattle caregivers have exciting well-being. Shifting priorities from disease responsibilities, andcaregiver opportunities to contribute to cattle detection to performance enhancement results in new levels well-being. Shifting caregiver priorities from disease ofdetection cattle welfare. to performance enhancement results in new levels of cattle welfare. Webster defines welfare as health, happiness, and general well-being. We have a responsibility to provide cattle with Webster defines welfare as health, happiness, and general physical comfort, disease protection, nutritional needs, and well-being. We have a responsibility to provide cattle emotional stability. Veterinarians understand that physical with physical comfort, disease protection, and psychological stress play important roles in nutritional cattle needs, and emotional stability. Veterinarians understand disease resistance and performance levels. Caretakers can physical and that psychological stress with play cattle important bethat trained to realize all human contact roles inanimal cattle well disease resistance performance impacts being. Humanand contact can eitherlevels. create Caretakers can be trained to realize that all human contact a very positive impact or can create an impact that can with cattle impacts well-being. Human contact devastate cattle health,animal performance and cattle and human can either create a very positive impact or can create an safety. impact that can devastate cattle health, performance and cattle and human Veterinarians must safety. improve their abilities to train caretakers to encourage cattle to communicate their true Veterinarians must improvepredator-prey their abilities to train state of health. Understanding relationships caretakers to encourage cattle to communicate their is the foundation for successful cattle handling and the true state of health. Understanding predator-prey relationships development of communication with cattle - which enables is the foundation for successful cattle handling and the early detection of disease. development of communication with cattle - which enables earlyvery detection disease. Cattle exhibit strongofprey animal instincts. Prey animals have survived in nature aware that predators select Cattle veryand strong animalIfinstincts. the lame,exhibit depressed, weakprey to harvest. caretakersPrey animals have survived in nature aware that predators select the lame, depressed, and weak to harvest. If
behave like predators, cattle will hidecattle signswill of depression caretakers behave like predators, hide signs and disease from these people as long as possible. of depression and disease from these people as long as Understanding more aboutmore the visual, andauditory sensory possible. Understanding about auditory the visual, abilities of cattle encourages handlers to override their and sensory abilities of cattle encourages handlers to predator suchtendencies, as to chase such and yell. overridetendencies, their predator as to chase and yell. Handlers that reward cattle motion with release of pressure can quickly that train reward cattle – and in doing so create mutual of Handlers cattle motion with release respect andcan develop trust between andso thecreate pressure quickly train cattle –themselves and in doing cattle. Understanding that cattle like to see what is mutual respect and develop trust between themselves pressuring them and like to see where canlike go isto see and the cattle. Understanding that they cattle fundamental to low-stress handling. Cattle that trust what is pressuring them and like to see where they can handlers volunteer to move away from handlers and will go is fundamental to low-stress handling. Cattle that walk straight away and move as directed. This attitude of trust handlers volunteer to move away from handlers willingness has a positive effect on herd social interaction. and will walk straight away and move as directed. This Sensitive cattle are more content and timid cattle are more attitudetoofcompete willingness has and a positive on herd social willing for feed water.effect Handling interaction. Sensitive cattle are more content opportunities become positive to cattle health andand timid cattle are more willing to compete for feed and water. performance instead of a stress. Handling opportunities become positive to cattle health and performance instead of a stress. Caretakers can have a positive impact on cattle health and performance. Cattle are easily trained to respond to the Caretakers can have positive impact on to cattle health release of pressure and abecome more willing and performance. Cattle are easily trained to realize respond communicate their true state of health when they to the release andCaretakers become more willing to that handlers areofnotpressure predators. that concentrate communicate their true state of health when they realize on low-stress handling skills increase their powers of that handlers are not predators. Caretakers that concentrate observation, recognize abnormal behavior and attitude and on low-stress handlingandskills their behavior powers of develop the confidence skill increase to manipulate to observation, abnormal**behavior and attitude improve levelsrecognize of animal welfare. and develop the confidence and skill to manipulate 25 behavior to improve levels of animal welfare. ** 25
