6. Animal Handling and Movement Flashcards
What are management procedures which require handling and movement?
Most animals require some degree of handling to keep them in good health
- health checks
- vaccinations
- processing (ID, castration, ear notching)
- treatments
How does the flight zone of an individual animal vary?
Depending on how “tame” the animal is and how calm it is
- The flight zone gets bigger when an animal becomes excited
- The flight zone is also bigger when you approach “head on”
When a handler penetrates the edge of the flight zone, what will the animal do?
the animal will turn away
When the handler is outside the flight zone, what will the animal do?
Animal will turn and face the handler, and maintain a safe distance
Where is the point of balance? How can handlers manipulate the movement of livestock using it?
- The point of balance is at the animal’s shoulder
- All species of livestock will move forward if the handler stands BEHIND the point of balance; they’ll back up if the handler stands in FRONT of the pointof balance
Groups of cattle or pigs in a chute will often move forward without prodding when what?
The handler walks past the point of balance in the opposite direction of each animal in the chute
- many handlers make the mistake of standing in front of the point of balance while attempting to make an animal move forward
What direction do cattle and other ruminants have a tendency to move in when a handler walks deep in their flight zone?
The OPPOSITE direction
- the handler walks into the flight zone in the opposite direction of desired movement
To move the next animal into the squeeze chute, what does the handler do?
Enters the flight zone and the animal will move forwards after the handler crosses the POB at the shoulder
To move only one animal, the handler should stop walking when the POB of the animal is crossed
How can a handler move animals in an open area?
- To keep the animals moving in an orderly manner the handler ALTERNATES btw penetrating the COLLECTIVE flight zone and withdrawing from the collective flight zone
- ALTERNATING PRESSURE on the flight zone is more effective than continuous pressure; achieved by walking in a zig-zag pattern to penetrate the flight zone when walking in the opposite direction of desired movement and retreats from the flight zone when walking in the same direction of desired movement
How does an entire herd move as a coordinated whole?
- A group of cattle moving as a herd maintains eye contact with each other
- The next animal behind the leader is positioned just behind the leader’s POB (this is the same position that a person would stand in to move the animals)
Before any attempt is made to change the direction of movement of a herd, what must happen?
Animals must all be walking in the same direction
- when GOOD MOVEMENT is initiated, the handler can control the direction of movement by moving to the left to make the cattle turn right and vise versa
The Bud Williams methods of calm, slow movement can be defined as what?
A stimulus-response relationship
- stimulus = a person who stimulates predator “stalking behaviour”, which elicits the predatory “avoidance behaviour”
What makes the Bud Williams method work?
Anxiety, not fear!
- when the method is first used it triggers BUNCHING behaviour
- the more a person works with the cattle, the calmer they become and bunching behaviour is gradually replaced with calm learned behaviour
How does the handler move using the Bud Williams method?
At a normal walking speed (as a stalking predator would) and there should be no noise such as whistling, or yelling; steady and deliberate with no sudden jerky movements or arm waving
- if the animals start running, these methods will not work
- if animals become excited and start running, they must be allowed to calm down for at least 30 minutes before the next attempt
How is movement initiated with the Bud Williams method?
When the majority of the herd has come together in a loose bunch, increase pressure on the collective flight zone to initiate movement in desired direction
- the handler continues the back and forth movements but presses closer to the herd to induce movement to cause the herd to move forward and begin to string out
