Adapting Bovine Behavior to Improve Performance

Abstract

The relationship between a stockman and his cattle will affect productivity. Quiet, gentle handling will reduce stress on animals and improve production. Dairy cattle and other livestock readily adapt to many handling procedures. This paper will review how livestock adapt to handling procedures and ways to reduce handling stress.

Reducing stress is important because stresses imposed during handling can have a detrimental effect on reproduction, milk production, immune function and rumen function. Restraint, electric prods and other handling stresses lowered conception rates.^69,38,70 Transportation and restraint stress reduced the immune function in cattle and pigs.^44,5,53 Rumen function was impaired by transit stress.¹⁹ In the studies conducted by Galyean,¹⁹ Kelley,⁴⁴ and Blecha,⁵ the stress imposed by transit had a greater detrimental effect on the animal's physiology than the stress of feed and water derivation for the same length of time. Handling sheep with dogs and transport and sorting two to three weeks after mating caused early embryonic losses.¹¹