Behavioural principles of handling beef cattle and the design of corrals, lairages, races and loading ramps.

Abstract

Beef cattle and other grazing animals have behaviour patterns during handling that are influenced by vision. A prey species animal has wide-angle vision that will detect rapid motion and possible danger. The eight basic behavioural patterns during handling in grazing animals are: (i) flight zone; (ii) turn and look at people who are outside their flight zone; (iii) point of balance that controls direction of movement; (iv) natural following the leader behaviour; (v) return to where they came from; (vi) soft bunching; (vii) milling when a predator attacks; and (viii) isolation alone can be highly stressful. Good stock people understand the principle of pressure and release. When cattle move in the desired direction, the handler reduces pressure on the flight zone. Tame cattle can be led instead of being driven. This chapter also contains drawings of popular layouts for races, yards, lairages and corrals for handling cattle. There is also a list of common design mistakes that can cause balking and refusal to move through a handling system. Cattle will move more easily through a race if visual distractions are removed. Common distractions are: shadows, sunbeams, reflections from shiny vehicles, and seeing people up ahead. Covering the outer perimeter fence of a facility will help block distractions.

A systematic review on whether regenerative agriculture improves animal welfare: A qualitative analysis with a One Welfare perspective

“…Firstly, regenerative agriculture ensures access to outdoor pastures that meet animals' ethological needs (Pinheiro Machado Filho et al 2021). Secondly, regenerative agriculture has been associated with training practitioners in low-stress livestock handling (Gosnell 2019), which can lead to less animal stress (Grandin 1999).…”

“…Human-animal relationships should be included in the regenerative agriculture principles, since they impact both animal welfare and human welfare (Burton et al 2012;Rault et al 2020). However, to conclude that regenerative management leads to a less stressful condition for animals would require a more comprehensive approach, for example, the inclusion of the principles of low-stress cattle handling (Grandin 1999), or assessments of human-animal relations, exploring the reasons that motivate the attitudes and behaviour of animal caretakers. Farmers' welfare could be affected by life factors not related to the farm, such as family health, social support, peers' opinion, employment conditions, the autonomy they have to express behaviours according to their attitudes (Burton et al 2012;Albernaz-Gonçalves et al 2021).…”