Livestock Handling Blog

Distressed Animal
Animal Distress

Distress in Animals: Is it Fear, Pain or Physical Stress?

Almost 20 years after this paper was published, the debate continues over whether large animals like cattle and horses suffer from pain like humans. The issue is complicated because when cattle or horses suffer injury, they often hide the pain. Hiding pain is a behavior that evolved to protect animals from predators during times of injury or sickness. This article argues that rats, cats, dogs, horses, and cattle can suffer from long-term pain chronic pain. All the same, when assessing suffering, fear stress should be considered crucial as suffering induced by pain. Both fear and pain can cause suffering.

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Grooved concrete for cattle handling
Cattle Handling

The Importance of Non-Slip Floors for Cattle

Falling on Concrete Causes “Un-seen” injuries in Cattle “Falls” on slippery floors are criteria measured during Humane Handling Audits in U.S. and E.U. Slaughterhouses. According to the AMI (American Meat Institute) Guidelines, 1% or fewer

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cattle
Temperament Testing

Understanding Tempermental Differences in Cattle

Temperament is a heritable pattern of thinking, emotion, motivation, and behavior influenced by experience. In cattle, there are practical and valuable measures available to determine temperament. Record the measurements discussed here while performing routine handling.

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hair whorls examples
Cattle Handling

Temperament Traits and Hair Whorls

FOLKLORE AND SCIENCE History is full of examples of cultural knowledge lost by one culture, then re-discovered by another culture, then lost again, only to be discovered later by someone else. Facial hair whorls in

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