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Strategies for handling cattle in suboptimal facilities

Abstract

Cattle, herd animals who live in extensive environments surrounded by herd mates, can present a significant challenge to handlers tasked with sending the cattle through confined processing facilities, which often resemble an obstacle course. There are design elements that are cattle friendly, and those that are not cattle friendly which significantly impacts the technique and skill required to successfully move cattle through these processing facilities. Assessment tools and critical control point use allow handlers to create a strategy for successful movement of cattle through processing facilities.