Continued Benefits of Acclimation

By: Dr. Tom Noffsinger and Dr. Kip Lukasiewicz, Production Animal Consultation, & Dr. LeeAnn Hyder, Robinson Hospital for Animals

Excerpt from “Feedlot Processing and Arrival Cattle Management,” Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice 31.3 (2015): 323-340.

Pen riders are responsible for continued acclimation throughout the feeding period. These are the individuals who interact with cattle on a daily basis. Being able to create orderly motion within a pen allows for systematic evaluation of every animal in the pen.

When cattle trust their pen rider, sick animals reveal their true state of health and may walk by the pen rider for evaluation. Proper acclimation makes it easier and safer to pull an individual from a pen. Animals that trust their caregiver are more willing to leave the company of their herd mates.

When cattle have been taught to work for their handlers, they are willing to pass by their handlers in an orderly fashion. This action allows cattle to be safely counted, sorted, or processed. As part of the acclimation process, cattle can be taught to move to and through the processing barn.

Emptying the home pen and allowing cattle to move toward the processing barn without actually going to the barn teaches cattle that they can leave their home pen without having something done to them. This understanding makes cattle more willing to go to the processing barn at the time of processing. If time permits, cattle can be introduced to the processing facility by allowing them to move through the facility without being processed, which further encourages their cooperation at the time of processing.

Correctly emptying home pens reinforces acclimation training and prepares cattle for single file movement during processing, sorting, and loading. If possible, handlers should work in teams of 2 or 3 to empty a pen. As when emptying a holding pen, handlers should work from the side of the gate that allows cattle to maintain visualization of both the handler and their destination.

When entering the pen to be emptied, handlers should remain calm and move through the herd asking the resting animals to stand up; this focuses the cattle’s attention on the handlers. One handler should be positioned by the gate, whereas the other supports motion further back in the herd.

The handler at the gate locates the leader of the group and then asks that animal to step forward by first moving to straighten the animal’s head and then moving toward his ear, applying pressure at a 45° angle. The handler applies pressure to the other animals in a similar manner until orderly flow is established and then backs up and allows motion to continue.

Any stray animals can be gathered after most of the pen has been emptied by asking them to follow the remainder of the herd.

Safety is the top priority each time caregivers interact with cattle. It is important for handlers not to position themselves without an escape route. A handler should never be inside a solid-walled tub with cattle or behind them in the snake (the single file alley to the chute). Caregivers should never be in a position to fail in terms of human and animal safety.

In challenging environments, it is important for caregivers and pen riders to know their limitations and ask for assistance. Challenging environments can include pens with obstacles such as manure piles, hay bales, hills, or a large pen area where it is difficult for a single individual to maintain eye contact with cattle. Having multiple people allows eye contact to be maintained.