Critically evaluating alternative cattle handling techniques

Abstract

Stockmanship, husbandry, and cattle welfare are terms that in many ways overlap, and are all associated with cattle handling. Rarely will you find cattle producers arguing against the value of proper cattle handling. While most in the industry would advocate for proper cattle handling, the question becomes, at what level is "proper" defined? As with many practices (vaccinations, antimicrobials, pen space), more is not always better and there becomes a cost that exceeds the value derived from the practice, in other words, an economic threshold is met. A research trial in beef calves was conducted evaluating a traditional cattle handling (TCH) system to an alternative cattle handling (ACH) system. Health, performance, and carcass characteristics were evaluated. Total mortality was higher (P = 0.09) for the TCH treatment compared to the ACH treatment, but this did not translate to fewer realizers or total wastage (P > 0.10). No significant differences were observed in cattle performance or morbidity. Numerous alternative cattle handling models exist and future evaluation of these differences is warranted.