Page 177 - The Welfare of Cattle

154 the WeLfare of CattLe

If a chute has open sides, stock people MUST stay away from it, except when they walk toward
it to move the animals. If they continually stand too close to the animal in an open sided chute, it
may become agitated. Agitation occurs because the person is inside the flight zone and the animal
cannot move away. With the exception of halter broke tame cattle, a people-free space MUST be
maintained alongside a chute with open sides. It can be visualized as a “force field” that extends
outside the chute. The size of the force field will be determined by the wildness or tameness of the
cattle. A skilled stock person can easily work the animal’s point of balance and flight zone by walk-
ing on the ground. All catwalks are eliminated. If the animals are handled by less-skilled people or
in a place with a lot of employee turnover, solid sides may be the best choice.
Restraint Device Design and Operation—The first rule is NEVER leave an animal unattended
in any restraint device. If cattle vocalize in direct response to being held or caught in a squeeze
chute or other restraint device, there is a problem that needs to be corrected. Excessive pressure
or sharp edges will cause cattle to vocalize (moo or bellow) in a restraint device such as a neck
stanchion (Bourquet, et al., 2012; Grandin, 2001). On California cattle ranches, Simon et al. (2016)
found that vocalization was greater in hydraulic squeeze chutes compared to manually operated
chutes. This is likely to be due to excessive pressure. A hydraulic squeeze chute should be adjusted
so that it will automatically stop applying pressure BEFORE the animal vocalizes. In both the
Woiwode et al. (2016) and Barnhardt et al. (2015) feedlot handling surveys, vocalization scores
were low. The average vocalization score was 1.4% of the cattle (Woiwode et al., 2016). All the feed
yards in the Woiwode et al. (2016) survey had hydraulic squeeze chutes. Greater awareness of Beef
Quality Assurance principles may have made feedlot managers more aware of the need to limit the
maximum amount of pressure.
Some squeeze chutes are equipped with additional hydraulic devices to hold the animal’s head
still. These must be set at a much lighter pressure than the body squeeze. To prevent injuries, these
devices must be used carefully. If use of these devices causes vocalization or straining, they are
applying excessive pressure.
Cattle will remain calmer in a squeeze chute if they can stand in a balanced position. The
best squeeze chutes have sides that squeeze in evenly from both sides. If a chute has only a single
movable side, it must be carefully adjusted to prevent throwing the animal off balance.
There are two types of design for the squeeze sides. Hinged at the bottom to form a V or the
sides remain vertical during squeezing. Sides that remain vertical are best for mature dairy cows,
big bulls, and very wide, fat cattle. The V-shaped chute often works better for smaller younger
animals. There are two basic types of headgates. They can have either straight vertical neck bars or
curved bars that provide better control of the head. A major advantage of a straight bar stanchion is
that a bovine can safely lie down in it, without choking. If a curved bar stanchion is used, the chute
must be designed to prevent the cow from lying down. This can be achieved with either a brisket bar
in a chute with straight sides or V-shaped squeeze sides. There are a wide variety of designs that can
be used. The ultimate determinants of how appropriate a certain design of a squeeze chute or other
restraint device are the scores obtained from animal-based measures.

reStraINt DeVICe eVaLUatION

• Percentage of cattle vocalizing in direct response to being held by the restraint device (Grandin,
1998, 2001, 2010, 2010). Should be 5% or less of the cattle. Score before procedures such as
eartagging or injections (Barnhardt et al., 2015; Simon et al., 2016; Woiwode et al., 2016).
• Percentage of animals that balk at the entrance (Welfare Quality, 2009). Balking may be caused
by the chute being too narrow at the bottom. Vocalizations caused by use of an electric prod are
counted on the vocalization score.
• Struggling and agitation while being restrained (Grandin, 1993). This is often caused by slipping on
the floor or chute that throws the animal off balance.