Cattle Handling: Stockmanship Principles

Cattle handling is a learned skill. As with anything we do, some people are initially better at it than others, but it is a skill you can work on and improve with experience. Regardless of your experience level, you need to first understand cattle physiology and behavior and then learn the principles used to move animals. Cattle have expected behaviors in reaction to human handling. Knowledge of those behaviors helps you direct them to do what you want them to do.

Comfort/Flight Zone Affects Reactions

The first cattle-handling principle you need to know is how cattle react to people in relation to their comfort/flight zone. People and cattle both have a comfort/flight zone that affects how they react.

In many Western cultures, two feet is considered the comfort zone for conversing with another person. In some Eastern cultures, six inches is considered normal. At parties, you might observe a Western individual backing away to maintain their comfort zone while a person of an Eastern culture follows them to maintain their comfort zone. It is also important to understand that people face who is talking to them.

The flight zone (comfort zone) is an animal’s personal space. The flight zone may be 5–25 feet for tame or feedlot cattle and 300 feet or more for some wild cattle. The flight zone increases when cattle are approached from the head and when they are excited. The flight zone decreases when they are in a single-file chute.

Entering the Flight Zone

Cattle will normally move effectively if the handler works on the edge of the flight zone. Deep invasion of the flight zone can cause animals to panic. In Figure 1, Point A is located outside the flight zone. A handler positioned at Point A will cause animals to stop moving forward. Handlers positioned at Point B, located inside the flight zone, will cause the animal to move away from the handler.

When a handler steps into the flight zone, they are adding pressure to the flight zone. One of the first mistakes an inexperienced stockperson makes is applying too much pressure. You want to apply just enough pressure to move the animal in the desired direction, at a normal pace, without causing them to run. This requires the stockman to add and remove pressure at the appropriate times. Both stockperson and cattle must learn how to work together. The more frequently cattle are worked using proper technique, the more accustomed they become to human handling.

Point of Balance

The second universal principal livestock handlers need to understand is the animal’s point of balance. The point of balance for cattle is depicted in Figure 1 as a line passing through its shoulders. The exact location for the point of balance will vary from animal to animal. Make no mistake, this line is real. When found, it allows the handler to start and stop an animal’s movement with one simple step to the left or right. To make an animal move forward, the handler should stand behind the point of balance and enter the animal’s flight zone. To move the animal backward, the handler stands in front of the point of balance and applies flight zone pressure by stepping toward the animal’s head.

If you approach the animal from the front, and you want the animal to continue to move toward and then past you, move parallel to the animal. When you pass their point of balance, the animal will move forward. This is a valuable technique, especially when trying to move animals through a single file alley (Figure 2). You will find that handling is more effective when cattle are worked from the front. Front positioning allows you to draw the cattle toward you and then move parallel to the animal to the point of balance to move them in the desired direction. Similarly, if you want the animal(s) to slow down or reverse direction, and you are behind them, move toward the animal’s head, causing them to slow their pace or turn when you cross their point of balance.

Cattle Reactions to Handling

Five key behavior principles you need to remember when attempting to move cattle. These principles are important for moving cattle and designing handling facilities (Gill et al., 2013):

1. Cattle want to see you. As the handler, you want the cattle to see you at all times, and they prefer to keep you in their line of sight. When you enter a pen or pasture, the animals will turn so that you are in their field of vision, even if it does not appear they are looking directly at you. If you approach from their blind spot, they may turn to see you. Therefore, rather than walking behind an animal, walk along their side. If you are trying to drive them forward, move from one side to the other side of the animal to move them in a straight line.
2. Cattle want to go around you. In a confined space, cattle will want to circle around you. Position yourself so that when they do move around you, it is in the direction you want them to go.
3. Cattle want to stay close to other cattle. Prey species have a natural instinct to herd together. Once you have a few animals moving in the right direction, the rest will follow. In open areas, it is better to take a small group than to try to move a single animal. They work better as a group.
4. Cattle want to return to where they have been. Stockmanship relies on understanding the animal’s predator/prey instincts. When we work cattle, we are causing some level of stress. Cattle want to escape stress. They have a desire to return to the last place they felt safe. This is a major concept in the design of the “Bud Box” handling systems.
5. Cattle can only process one thought at a time. We understand that cattle do not think, but they do have the ability to learn. If we try to get them to do too much at one time, you and the cattle will become frustrated. It is key that the animal’s attention is on you and not focused on another distractions.

Cattle Handling Pointers

1. Work cattle slowly, in small groups, using low stress techniques.
2. Let the cattle get comfortable with handling.
3. Apply pressure properly. If they are moving in the direction you want them to go, back off and let them move at their own pace. Do not tailgate!
4. Make sure the cattle are focused on you. They can be distracted by anything. If they become focused on something else (e.g. barking dog, tractor engine, another person) give them time to return their focus to you.

References

Gill, R., Pate, C., & Machen, R. (2013). Cattle handling pointers. AgriLIFE Extension. College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University.
 arec.tennessee.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/09/AlleyCattleHandlingSSHandout1.pdf

Originally written by Stephen Boyles, Professor, Department of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University.