Remember the last time you had to get your cattle up twice in one week? More than likely the cows didn't enjoy it the first time, and they made darn sure you didn't enjoy it the second time.
Take pity on Doug and Mary Ellen Hicks. Doug, head of the beef unit at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC), and Mary Ellen, veterinarian and animal science professor, have to get the school herd up as many as four times a week for student labs.
And getting chute-savvy cows corralled repeatedly isn't their only challenge. The husband-and-wife team is also responsible for the safety of their student helpers, most of whom are straight from the city.
No problem. These cows and calves calmly walk into the pen. It's just another day at school. And it proves Mary Ellen's point to her students. "Think like a cow," she tells them. "If you think about how they perceive things in their environment, you can outthink them."
For starters, cattle are hard-wired to run from predators. In their minds, that could be you. Enter their flight zone and they are going to take off (flight) or put up a fuss (fight). So, just where is this flight zone? "Think of it as an imaginary circle," says Doug.
"Their flight zone is a comfort zone, or actually a discomfort zone," explains Mary Ellen. "They are like people. Everyone has a different comfort zone, and it changes depending on the situation.
"In a herd setting they feel safe and have a small flight zone. One animal off by itself gets nervous and has a large flight zone. Read your situation."
Knowing where that zone is comes in handy when you're trying to move a bovine. Ease into it and they'll move. And keep an eye on their eyes. "If they can't see you—if you get out of their line of vision—they'll turn and look for you," says Doug.
Another tried-and-true bovine steering tool is to use point of balance, which is at the cow's shoulder. If the cow is in the chute, walk past it toward her tail and she'll move forward.
If more than mental tools are needed, the Hickses rely on a rattle paddle, available at farm-supply stores, or a simple sorting stick with a plastic bag tied to the end. Sometimes Mary Ellen even uses a piece of PVC pipe, which fits her requirements for being visible, lightweight and quiet.
"These aren't for beating the cattle," Doug stresses. "They are an extension of your arm."
One tool he doesn't use except in rare situations is a hot shot. "Hot shots cause more trouble than they have ever helped."
"They are for a skilled user's hands only," Mary Ellen adds.
Another tool the Hickses use is food. "You can use their desire to eat to your advantage," says Doug. "If you're going to work your cattle, start feeding them in the pen a week ahead of time."
Cattle are creatures of habit, he adds. If you plan on working them in the morning, feed them in the morning. Then you won't make them suspicious by showing up with feed buckets in the afternoon.
Also, if possible, when you're moving them to a new pasture with fresh grass, take them through the working pen so they learn to think of it as a good place. By thinking like cattle, the Hickses and their students can move and work the ABAC herd over and over without screaming, shouting or rough handling.
"You can condition the cattle this way to withstand the stress of being worked," says Mary Ellen. "But it takes being exposed to the situation in a nonthreatening way. And if you're gentle with the cattle, you can get them back in the pen. Most importantly, if it's low stress for the cattle, it's low stress for the people too."
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The Price of Stress
If you've tried to work upset or unruly cattle, you can vouch for this. They get hurt, you get hurt, and your pens and chute take a beating. But there is another good reason to keep cattle quiet: It helps them stay healthy. Research proves that stressed cattle are more often sick cattle.
"It is a domino effect," says veterinarian Mary Ellen Hicks. "Normally, if cattle are in a situation they perceive as stressful, their heart rates go up, their respiratory rates go up, and some researchers say their body temperatures go up." Their cortisol levels also rise, which in turn stimulates glucose production. That's their hard-wiring again, gearing up their bodies to take flight.
Their immune systems also get suppressed. "Then, if the animal comes in contact with a bacteria or virus after it leaves the pen or squeeze chute, it is at a greater risk of getting sick," says Hicks.
All these changes also mean the bovine's body won't respond to vaccines as it should.
If that isn't reason enough to keep stress to a minimum when handling cattle, think of those precious pounds you've put on them with high-priced feed. "It can take a week for cattle to regain the weight lost during a trip through the chute," says Hicks.
Cattle-handling tips
Besides riding herd on the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College students and cattle, Doug and Mary Ellen Hicks have their own commercial cattle herd. They even find the time to help friends and neighbors work cattle. Here are their tried-and-true tips for successful cattle handling:
1 Plan ahead. Any type of cattle handling or processing needs to be planned well in advance. Thinking it through reduces the chance that workers will be running around the day of processing, trying to take care of things that could have been done earlier.
2 Take your time. Processing and loading are not a race. Enough said.
3 Assign specific jobs ahead of time. Make sure all who are involved understand their jobs. Train, prepare and equip workers to do that job.
4 Keep it business. Cattle-handling time is work time, not socializing time.
5 Keep the noise down. No hollering or talking loudly unless it is absolutely necessary. Cattle respond better to quiet, deliberate activity on the handler's part, not jerky or loud activity.
6 Remember that less is sometimes more. Chances are you don't need 15 people to sort a pen of cattle or process calves. Two or three people who know what they are doing usually get the job done more efficiently and with less stress.
7 Train the cattle. When it's doable, prepare the cattle for the activity. Take the time to ride through the herd occasionally on horseback just to check the cattle before they are ever worked off horses. The same thing holds if you're working cattle with dogs or on foot.
8 Skip the tough guy stuff. There is nothing sissy about low-stress handling. Cattle will always have the upper hand in a contest of brawn over brains.
9 Stay calm. If you think you're going to lose it, step back, take a break and let someone else fill in for a few minutes.
10 See the world as cattle see it. Know their flight zone and point of balance. That allows you to outthink the cattle.