Page 175 - The Welfare of Cattle

152 the WeLfare of CattLe

12 ft 48 ft (14 m)
(3.5 m) Solid side

12 ft
(3.5 m) 12 ft (3.5 m)
24 ft radius
(7 m) Open side
Open side

Solid side Squeeze chute
head restraint

Figure 14.1 Cattle handling facility where the handler stands on the hatched area and works cattle from the
crowd gate pivot. this takes advantage of the natural behavior of going back to where they came
from.

that requires less stockmanship skill. For beef cattle handling facilities, the above principles are
evident when comparing the Bud Box design (Gill and Machen, 2014; Stookey and Watts, 2014)
to circular designs (Grandin, 2017; Grandin and Deesing, 2008). A Bud Box is simple to construct
from portable panels but the stock person has to be in with the cattle. The handler has to know how
to stand in the correct position so that the cattle will flow around him. Circular facilities are easier
for people to learn how to use but they are more expensive to build. Both designs, when they are laid
out correctly, rely on the behavioral principle of cattle going back to where they came from. In the
survey of 25 feedlots in Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas by Woiwode et al. (2016), 11% of the feed-
lots had Bud Boxes and all 89% had circular designs. To reduce costs, there are now less-expensive
circular designs where all the catwalks are eliminated and the handler works at the pivot point of
the round crowd pen (Grandin, 2014, 2015) (Figure 14.1). Drawings for both types of designs are in
Grandin and Deesing (2008) and Grandin (2017). Working at the pivot of the crowd gate allows the
cattle to circle around the handler.

MIStaKeS that MaKe haNDLING FaCILItIeS WOrK POOrLY

When evaluating different designs, one must differentiate between poor performances caused
by the basic design being wrong, or other factors not related to design that will ruin performance.
Below is a list of problems that may cause cattle to balk or turn back. They may occur in ANY
TYPE of design. A good stockperson needs to watch carefully and see where cattle stop and hesi-
tate. It is especially important to observe this with cattle that are not familiar with the facility. An
old experienced dairy cow will walk right by something that a new heifer will balk at. A calm
animal will stop and look at a thing in the facility that is bothering them. If you rush the cattle up
quickly, they will balk and turn back. A calm animal will look at distractions that need correcting
and show them to you.
Lighting Problems—Lighting problems can cause cattle to balk and turn back in the best
well-designed facilities. This is especially a problem with new animals that are not familiar with the
facility such as young dairy heifers or newly arrived beef calves that are entering a feedlot. The worst
problem is the dark movie theater effect. This occurs when there is a building over a handling facility
and the cattle refuse to enter the dark building. This problem is mostly like to occur on bright sunny
days. There are two ways to fix this problem. Cattle will enter more easily if they can see daylight
through the building. In some facilities, cattle entry can be improved by installing white translucent