Maiorano

Toby Triesch

1667 Hallmark Canyon Lake, Texas 78133 830/554-0388

Tim Smith Consultant 512/587-7896

We are utilizing the services of Smith Dirty Mike, and here is a daughter of his we have in our program.

He goes on to warn that more often than not, things go south when the herd nears the exit point because we tend to get excited that we made it that far and apply too much pressure, which creates nervousness in the herd and we lose control. In turn, this creates stress in the herd and that stress will carry over as you work cattle.

“Safety is first and foremost vital for those working cattle, but the safety of the animal is the next priority. We never want to create stress or injury for our livestock and that benefits our bottom line as well. We spend a lot of money on semen, feed and vaccines; when you increase the stress level of your animal, we see breeding rates, feed efficiency and vaccine efficiency decrease,” Thompson pointed out.

Working cattle doesn’t have to be a stressful event or a complicated game. As Thompson said, if we can practice low stress livestock handling, it allows us, as producers, the opportunity to better enjoy working our cattle and the opportunity to participate in value added programs as a result of the better working relationship we have with the herd and those we work with.

General Tips for Working Cattle

Keep talking/noise to a minimum when working cattle, especially flighty cattle.

Avoid the heat of the day when working cattle. Chutes should have exits that flow toward an area that the cattle are generally drawn toward such as the directions from which they came, but the exit area should also be free of anything that might deter cattle flow such as vehicles, dogs, 4-wheelers and walls to reassure the safety of the exit point for the herd.

Avoid blind spots. Cattle cannot see directly behind them and a handler that is in that blind spot is more likely to get kicked. Generally, handlers should be 20 to 30 degrees away from the blind spot, left or right.

Do not overcrowd corrals, working tubs or chutes to avoid injury and stress.

Pen riders and handlers are key players in the safety of your crew and your herd. They determine the stress level of the animal and can keep cortisol levels low.

Become BQA (Beef Quality Assurance) certified to learn proper protocols.