Page 176 - The Welfare of Cattle

PrInCIPLes of handLInG faCILItY desIGn 153

skylights in the building to admit more shadow-free daylight. Cattle do not like going into dark
places. At night, lights can be installed in the building to attract the animals into it. Unfortunately,
electric lights are not bright enough to attract cattle into dark buildings on a really bright, sunny day.
Remove Distractions—When cattle are being handled for veterinary work at auctions or at
meat plants, they are entering a novel facility where distractions are more likely to impede move-
ment (Grandin, 1996). Some of the things that should be removed are dangling chains, coats on
fences, paper cups, and hoses lying across the floor. Cattle notice little things that people tend to not
notice. Parked vehicles alongside a cattle handling facility may cause cattle to balk.
Avoid High Contrasts—Animals will often stop if there is a change in flooring. Common balk
points are changing from a dirt floor to either metal or concrete. Contrast can be reduced by scuff-
ing dirt onto the concrete so that the line between the two types of materials becomes less distinct.
Sprinkling hay or straw on the floor can also make the change less distinct. In premanufactured
portable facilities, animals may refuse to cross the metal pipes or struts on the floor. These struts
are required to hold a freestanding portable facility together. Covering the struts with dirt, straw, or
shavings may help facilitate movement. Facilities should be painted all one color. Cattle also tend to
stop where the color of the fence panels change.
Recent Tall Cattle Problems—In older facilities, vertical slide gates or top mounted anti-back
up gates may be mounted too low to allow tall Holsteins to easily pass under them. Cattle will balk
if they start to bump their backs. The pivot point of a backstop may need to be raised.
Balking at the Single-File Chute (Race) Entrance—There are four main problems that cause
animals to refuse to enter a single-file chute from the crowd pen. They are (1) people standing next
to it, (2) laid out wrong (3) backstop gate is closed, or (4) the chute is full. From a design standpoint,
the biggest problem are layout mistakes where the single-file chute joins the crowd pen. To facilitate
entering the single-file chute, an animal standing at the entrance must be able to see two body lengths
up ahead. A common layout mistake is to bend the single-file chute too sharply where it joins the
crowd pen. More information on layout can be found in Grandin and Deesing (2008) and Grandin
(2017). If there is a backstop at the single-file chute entrance, it may cause cattle to balk and refuse to
enter. Equipping it with a remote control rope so it can be easily held open will facilitate cattle entry.
Nonslip Flooring Essential—Animals get scared when they start to slip on the floor. A slick
floor is one of the main causes of cattle becoming agitated in the stun box, single animal scale,
or squeeze chute. Flooring in facilities for holding animals for veterinary procedures and other
occasional treatments usually needs to be rougher than flooring used in places where the cattle
walk through it every day, such as a milking parlor. A smooth, hard troweled surface must never be
used. Rough broom finishes also work poorly because they wear out too quickly. Flooring that is
too rough in a milking parlor can damage feet because the cows walk on it every day. In feedlots, a
woven tire mat made from old tire treads is very effective for preventing slips and falls when cattle
exit a squeeze chute. Woiwode et al. (2016) reported that 78% of the feedlots in Kansas, Nebraska,
and Colorado she surveyed had these mats. More information on flooring can be found in Grandin
and Deesing (2008) and Grandin (2017), for beef cattle handling facilities. These recommendations
are for facilities where cattle do not walk on them every day.
Solid vs. Open Sides on Chutes—For the last 20 years, beef cattle have been selected for a
calmer temperament. Many studies show that cattle that race quickly out of squeeze chutes (high
exit speed) or get behaviorally agitated in the chute have lower weight gains (Café et al., 2014;
Voisinet et al., 1997). When wild cattle are handled by unskilled people, solid sides on chutes help
keep cattle calmer. Today some specialists in low stress handling recommend removing solid sides.
Which is correct? It depends on the situation.
The most important part of chute to cover up is the sides along the outer perimeter. This blocks
the animal’s reaction to vehicles and other distractions that occur outside the facility. Feedlots that
have a facility with open sides usually have it located within a building, which effectively puts solids
side around the outer perimeter.