4 Tips For Staying Safe Around Cattle

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Although cattle aren’t naturally aggressive, they can easily injure their human attendants, sometimes even fatally, due to their large size and skittish nature. Here are four tips for staying safe when working with cattle.

Know their flight zones. An animal’s flight zone refers to how close you can get to it before it will flee. For dairy cows with frequent human contact, the flight zone may be five metres or less. A herd of grazing beef cattle, on the other hand, may start to flee once you get within 100 metres of them.

Keep strange noises to a minimum. Cattle have a much sharper sense of hearing than most humans. A noise that may not seem that loud to you could seriously startle your cows. Frightened cattle are likely to run and accidentally take down anyone in their way. Try not to expose them to noises that might scare them, especially when there are people in the barn or pen with them.

Watch out for their blind spots. When working with cattle, don’t stand behind them as they can’t turn their heads and won’t be able to see you. Always approach them from the side rather than from behind to avoid getting kicked. Also keep in mind that cattle have poor depth perception and may easily be startled by what they see as well as what they hear.

Take precautions when work ing with cattle. When in proximity to cows, avoid making sudden move ments or prodding them when they have nowhere to go. Don’t walk through the middle of the herd or put yourself in a position where you could be pinned against walls or doors. When opening gates, make sure to hold them from the side so you can get out quickly.

Most cattle-related injuries and fatalities can be avoided if proper safety measures are taken. If you respect your animals’ personal space, you’re likely to avoid getting hurt.

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