Bovine Restraint

Question 1

What are the different methods of bovine restraint?

Answer 1

Gate, lariat, headgate, chute and chemical

Question 2

If you use a lariat to restrain an animal you should always have a plan about…

Answer 2

Where to tie it to (Quick release knot)

Question 3

Before going out to the farm, make sure your assistant asks the producer if…

Answer 3

the animal is caught

Question 4

What are the advantages of a manual head gate? Disadvantages?

Answer 4

Advantage: enter easier, move more fluidly, open wider, birth to adult without adjusting

Disadvantage: easier to let them escape, hard to work alone

Brands: Foremost or preifort

Question 5

What are the advantages and disadvantages of an automatic headgate?

Answer 5

Advantage: Easier to work alone, hard to let animal escape

Disadvantage: automatic not always true, harder to get head in, cant keep moving, more likely to choke if animal goes down

Brands: Tox-O-Wix

Question 6

What is the advantage of a head chute over a head gate?

Answer 6

Chute - can squeeze animal to get calmer, better access to animal, can open side it’s better for a down cow

More expensive

Question 7

Where are head locks commonly found? What are they best for?

Answer 7

Dairys
Best for fast palpation

Question 8

What is a no back?

Answer 8

prevents the cow from backing up in the chute, open one way

May dissuade them from moving forward

Question 9

What are some additional restraint methods in headchute and out of it?

Answer 9

Squeeze, tail jack (straight up at 90 degree), knee in flank to keep up if smaller cow, halter to tie head, nose leads (twitch), drugs, neck extended, towel over head, dart gun

Question 10

What are some procedures where we would need this extra restraint?

Answer 10

Administering Excede (middle 1/3 ear), glaucoma removing eye, trimming horns

Question 11

When you shoot an animal with a dart gun what occurs with that drug?

Answer 11

Outcome is unexpected…don’t know how it was applied (Draxin most common or xylazine)
-do not try to put a rope on it until it is down with head back in flank of in lateral recumbency

Question 12

What is Temple Grandin’s Chute called?

Answer 12

Cattle tub system - cant see through , curved (human safety - never in with animal)

Question 13

What is bud William’s system called?

Answer 13

Bud box - can see, move box with human (in with animal - be prepared to jump)

Question 14

How long should an animal be laid over in a layover chute?

Answer 14

30 minutes max is ideal

Question 15

What is the one possible side effect of a layover chute?

Answer 15

There is a slight chance of the cow aborting if they are 7-8 months pregnant (but it is much faster and easier)

Question 16

What are the rules for pulling a calf?

Answer 16

1. Never pull in a chute (unless side opens) - goes down have no leverage
2. Never pull until 3 parts coming out (nose and 2 feet or tail and 2 feet)

Question 17

How do you fix a pen where the cow keeps going over to the same corner and getting stuck?

Answer 17

Board off the blind corner

Question 18

What is one of the most common mistakes when people build a lane/alley way?

Answer 18

Too wide and the animal can turn around

Question 19

When haltering an animal in a chute for extra restraint, what should you always do?

Answer 19

Wrap the lead around a sturdy object twice

Question 20

What are some common design flaws?

Answer 20

Chute too wide, pens too large, not enough pens for sorting, poor placement of gates, not enough gates, confusing flow for animals