5/19/2016 1 Low Stress Animal Handling Improves Both Productivity and Animal Welfare Temple Grandin Department of Animal Sciences Colorado State University Excitable cattle scored with different temperament measures have lower weight gains Excitable cattle poorer reproductive performance Many studies have replicated this result Different Methods of Temperament Measurements Chute Score – Works poorly if tightly held Electronic Exit Speed Walk Trot Canter Exit Speed (Vetters et al., 2013) 2 point exit speed scoring – walk or trot, run, jump (Kasimanickam et al., 2014) Pen Scoring
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Temple Grandin-Low Stress Animal Handling · 2016-05-20 · 5/19/2016 1 Low Stress Animal Handling Improves Both Productivity and Animal Welfare Temple Grandin Department of Animal
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5/19/2016
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Low Stress Animal Handling Improves Both Productivity
and Animal Welfare
Temple GrandinDepartment of Animal Sciences
Colorado State University
Excitable cattle scored with different temperament measures have lower weight gains
Excitable cattle poorer reproductive performance
Many studies have replicated this result
Different Methods of Temperament Measurements
Chute Score – Works poorly if tightly held
Electronic Exit Speed
Walk Trot Canter Exit Speed (Vetters et al., 2013)
2 point exit speed scoring – walk or trot, run, jump (Kasimanickam et al., 2014)
Pen Scoring
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Cattle that become agitated in the squeeze chute have lower weight gains
Cattle that run fast out of the squeeze chute may perform poorly
Voisinet et al.,1997, Fell et al.,1999
Genetics influences temperament score
Producers have been selecting for calm temperament to produce calmer, more productive animals
Be careful to avoid reductions in foraging or mothering
Temperament test scores are also changed by experience
Survey of Cattle Handling in Squeeze Chute in 28 Large Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado Feedlots
Average Range
Electric Prod % 3.7 0 to 45
Vocalization % * 1.3 0 to 6
Exit Falling % 0.8 0 to 2
Exit Stumble % 6.7 0 to 28
Miscaught % 4.2 0 to 16
Exit Run % 30.7 2 to 75
* No branding, castration, or dehorning
R. Woiwode, 2015
Handling has improved
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Advantages of Acclimating Animals to Handling
Pigs easier to move and lower heart rate when acclimated to walking in alleys (Lewis et al., 2008; Geverlink et al., 1998)
Cattle handled quietly in the squeeze chute every day became calmer and will enter more easily each successive day
Heifers acclimated by walking through chutes improved reproductive performance (Cook et al., 2009, 2012)
Training Brahman heifers to quietly walk through chutes produces calmer adults (Binstead, 1977; Fordyce, 1987)
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Transport Acclimation Research
Initial trip on a truck is more stressful than the 7th or 9th trip for
both cattle and sheep.Stockman et al., 2011 Wickham et al., 2012
Animal memories are very specific. Acclimating cattle to close contact with people by feeding range cubes does not transfer to reduced temperament scores in the squeeze chute (Cook et al., 2009)
Habituating an animal to a blue and white umbrella does not habituate an animal to other novel objects (Leiner and Fendt, 2011)
These objects are totally different pictures
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Cattle perceive a man on a horse and a man on foot as two different things
They need to be habituated to both
Acclimate Cattle to Different Vehicles and
Going through the Chute
• First experiences with new people, places, or equipment must be good
• Acclimating animals to handling reduces stress
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New things are attractive when an animal is allowed to voluntarily approach, and scary when they
are suddenly introduced
Animals That Fear People Less Productive
Fear is a proper scientific term and it is used in the neuroscience literature
Fearful sows, fewer piglets (Hemsworth, 1981)
Fearful dairy cows, lower conception rates (Hemsworth, et al., 2000)
Dairy cows that approach people, lower somatic cell counts (Fulwider et al., 2008)
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An Example of Low Flight Zone Productive Dairy Cows That
Approach People
Poor Handling Many Detrimental Effects
Beef steers forced to run – higher cortisol and lactate (Frese et al., 2015) and faster exit scores (Woiwode, 2015)
Rough handling of feedlot cattle – more bruises (Grandin, 1981)
Cattle handling facilities with many acute bends and turns lower pregnancy rates compared to straight or semi-circular designs (Kasimanickam et al., 2014)
High use of electric prods – more downer pigs, higher lactate and glucose (Benjamin et al., 2001)
LOWER WEIGHT GAINMiscatching on the animal’s face, running cattle, whistling, and yelling
Woiwode, 2015
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Cattle and pigs with agitated behavior or multiple shocks with an electric prod in the stunning chute at the slaughter plant had higher lactate, tougher meat, and more PSE
Gruber et al., 2010Warner et al., 2007Stockman et al., 2012Edwards et al., 2010
A Good Attitude Towards Animals Improves Both Productivity
and Handling Practices
Seabrook, 1984, 2000
Training stock people improved attitudes towards animals and reduced negative behaviors (Hemsworth et al., 1994)
You Manage What You Measure
Maintaining high standards requires continuous measurement
Handling quality can be maintained by regular audits of your handling practices with an objective numerical scoring system
PREVENTS BAD FROM BECOMING NORMAL
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Scoring Animal Handling
Percentage of animals that run
Percentage of animals that fall during handling
Percentage that stumble exiting squeeze
Percentages of animals that vocalize during catching in the squeeze chute
Percentage moved with electric prod
Comparison of Electric Prod Use Between Normal Fed Cattle and
Hard to Handle Steers
Percentage of Beef Plants That Stunned 95% or More Cattle with the First Shot
USDA survey prior to industry
wide auditing
McDonald’s Audits started
Continued auditing by major customers
Continuous auditing maintains good performance
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HACCP principles same as food safety
Directly observable things that are outcomes of bad practices or bad facilities
Not a paperwork audit
Three Types of Variablesfor Auditing Animal Welfare
1. Animal based outcome measure (continuous variables)