Beef Cattle Training Level 1

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Beef Cattle Training- Level 1-

• Based on
• Guide for the Care and Use
• of Agricultural Animals in Agricultural
• Research and Teaching
• (FASS First Revised Edition, 1999)
• Beef Cattle Training Module, Released 2003

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Outline

• General features of beef cattle and terminology
• Production systems and management practices
• Feed and water
• Husbandry practices
• Environmental management
• Cattle health care
• Pain, distress, and
  euthanasia
• Research procedures

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General Features of Beef Cattle

• Highly adaptable
• Limited agility
• Gregarious social structure
• Ruminants, have a multi-compartmentalized stomach
• Herbivorous animals with the ability to thrive on
  forages and by-products of little or no value to
  man
• Sexually promiscuous male
• Extroverted receptivity display by female
• Precocial development of young

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Sensory Acuity

• Cattle discriminate red, green,
  and yellow colors
• Small area of binocular vision
• Large area of monocular vision
• Olfaction (sense of smell)
• Cattle can distinguish peers by urine
  odors

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Ruminants

• Cattle are commonly referred to as ruminants
• Other ruminants include
• Sheep
• Goats
• Yak
• Buffalo
• Camels
• Llamas
• Deer

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Ruminant Digestive System

• Compartmentalized Stomach
• RumenLarge fermentation vat
• ReticulumFermentation vat
• OmasumRetains large particles for fermentation
• AbomasumTrue stomach similar to the stomach
  in monogastric animals (e.g., pigs)
• Intestinal System -
• Small Intestine
• Caecum
• Large Intestine

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Ruminants
Whole Cottonseed with Lint
Cottonseed Hulls

• Ruminants can utilize feedstuffs that are not
  useable by monogastric animals
• High fiber diets (e.g., grass, hay, silage)
• By-products
• Microbial fermentation of feedstuffs occurs
  primarily in the rumen

Whole Cottonseed
Pelleted Whole Cottonseed
Cottonseed Meal
Pelleted Cottonseed Hulls
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Terminology

• Order Artiodactyla (even-toed, hoofed animals)
• Family Bovidae (hollow-horned)
• Genus Bos
• Species taurus or indicus

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Terminology

• Bos taurus are descendants of European cattle.
  They constitute a majority of the cattle found in
  the United States.
• Examples of Bos taurus include Hereford,
  Shorthorn, Angus, and Holstein.

Bos taurus
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Terminology
Bos indicus

• Bos indicus are generally large-eared, humped
  cattle, such as Zebu cattle from India and Africa
  and American Brahman cattle.

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Terminology

• Calf Young of either sex
• Heifer Young female before she has reached
  sexual maturity
• Cow Female after she has had a calf
• Bull Intact male
• Steer Castrated male

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Stages of Production

• Breeding
• Gestation
• Calving
• Weaning
• Growing
• Finishing

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Types of Production

• Cow-Calf Seed stock (purebred breeding
  animals) or commercial operations that produce
  calves
• Stocker Recently weaned calves grazing forage
  prior to entry into the feedlot
• Background Growing calves on forage for
  placement in a feedlot
• Feedlot Cattle fed a high energy, finishing
  diet

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Types of Production Systems

• Range and pasture systems
• Feedlot systems

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Range and Pasture System

• Availability of fresh water is critical
• Distance to water should be considered
• Provide shade in areas where heat stress is
  common
• Provide shelter or wind
  breaks where extreme
• cold is likely
• Supplemental feed may
  be needed during
  extreme weather

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Range and Pasture Systems

• Quality of forages varies with the season,
  pasture or range type, and the stocking rate
• A change in the seasonal quality of forage will
  cause a flux in body condition
• Locally accepted standards for available forage
  and stocking rate should be considered
• Grazing beef cattle should be provided with
  supplements for nutrients that are known to be
  deficient in pasture and range forage

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Feedlot Systems

• Intensive management
  systems
• Indoors
• Open lots with or without
  shelter
• Facilities should provide
  cattle with opportunities for behavioral
  thermoregulation, depending on local climatic
  conditions
• Windbreaks, shade, mounds, roofed shelter

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Intensive Laboratory Environments

• Environmental chambers
• Metabolism stalls
• Respiration chambers
• Stanchions

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Intensive Lab Environments

• A minimum light period of 12 h is recommended
• Excreta should be removed daily
• Sufficient space should be provided to allow
  cattle to stand up or lie down without difficulty
  
• Exercise should be considered for animals housed
  intensively for more than 3 weeks
• Visual contact with other animals is important
• Adapting the animal to the situation improves
  both quality of research and safety

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Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)

• An SOP may be written and then approved by
  the Animal Care and Use Committee to describe
  common procedures, especially management
  procedures, such as
• Cleaning and sanitation of facilities
• Feeding
• Weaning
• Animal processing
• Transportation

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Floor or Ground Area

• Floor and ground area recommendations (FASS Ag
  Guide, Table 5-1, p 30) are based on four
  conditions
• Sufficient space to move
• Adequate access to feed and water
• Dry resting sites
• Opportunity to remain reasonably clean
• Recommended area alone does not ensure that these
  four conditions are met. In other cases, these
  conditions can be met with less than the
  recommended area.

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Floor and Ground Area

• Ground area required is affected by
• Type and slope of floor or soil surface (e.g.,
  rain drainage)
• Weather (i.e., precipitation, sun, wind)
• Group size
• Feeding method

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Floor and Ground AreaDirt Floor Pens

• Dust during hot dry weather
• Mud during wet weather
• Appropriate drainage
• Use of mounds

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Floor and Ground AreaHard Surface Pens

• Benefits of hard surface pens include
• Durability
• Easy cleaning
• Adequate footing

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Floor and Ground Area
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Floor and Ground AreaManure Management

• Frequent manure removal improves
• Air quality
• Microbial numbers
• Cattle health
• Manure can be handled wet (liquid manure) or dry
  (with bedding)
• Manure mounds can be utilized for dry ground

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Feed and Water

• Formulate diets according to National Research
  Council (NRC, 2000)
• In the formulation of diets, one should consider
• Stage of production
• Gender
• Body weight
• Breed or biological type
• Environmental conditions
• Feed availability and price

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Feed and Water

• Abrupt changes in diet should be avoided
• Feed deprivation for more than 24 h should be
  avoided, unless justified in the animal use
  protocol
• Recommended feed bunk space is provided in the Ag
  Guide (Table 5-1, p 30)

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Feed and Water

• Minimize feed and water contamination from
  urine and feces
• Monitor feed bunks daily
• Remove any spoiled feed
• When feeding high energy diets, monitor for signs
  of digestive upset

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Feed and Water

• Cattle should have continuous free access to
  clean water
• When continuous access to water is not possible,
  water should be available for 30 min at least
  twice daily
• Water systems should be checked daily and cleaned
  regularly

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Behavior Responses to Social Environment

• Mixing, crowding, group composition, and
  competition for limited resources are part of the
  confinement social environment
• Certain cattle experience these
  circumstances as stressful and
  show unwanted behaviors
  (e.g., fighting, bulling)

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Observation of Animals

• Cattle should be observed at least once daily
• Observe general comfort health
• Continuity of feed and water
• Rangeland cattle are generally observed less
  frequently
• Complete observation sheets, environmental data,
  and animal treatment records as needed
• Emergency contact information should always be
  posted

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Basic Husbandry Practices

• Weighing
• Ear tagging
• Feeding
• Watering
• Vaccinating
• Implanting
• Dehorning
• Horn-tipping
• Castrating
• Branding

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Handling and TransportationMoving Cattle

• Cattle move from dark to light more easily
• Non-slip floors and solid-sided chutes should be
  used
• Electric prods, canes, or blunt objects must be
  used sparingly

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Handling and TransportationMoving Cattle

• Cattle have a flight zone that can be used to
  move them
• The animals point of balance is at its shoulder.
  Cattle will move forward if the handler stands
  behind the point of balance. They will back up if
  the handler stands in front of the point of
  balance.
• The flight zone is the animal's personal space,
  and the size of the flight zone is determined by
  the animals approachability.

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Moving Cattle
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Handling and Transportation

• Cattle should not be overcrowded during
  transportation
• All vehicles used to transport cattle should
  provide for the safety of personnel and cattle
  during loading, transporting, and unloading
• Abrupt sharp turns or stops during transportation
  should be avoided
• Adequate air circulation should be provided
  during transport this should vary with climatic
  conditions

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Handling and TransportationNon-Ambulatory Cattle

• Downed or non-ambulatory cattle must not be
  dragged
• Specialized slide boards, carts, and sleds can be
  used to transport injured cattle to treatment
  areas
• Downed cattle with an unfavorable prognosis
  should be euthanized using an approved method

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Environmental Management
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EnvironmentAir Quality

• Gases
• Ammonia (eye and nose irritant)
• Hydrogen sulfide (smells like rotten eggs)
• Dust (particulate matter, PM)
• Airborne microbes
• Odor

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EnvironmentNoise

• Cattle are sensitive to intermittent loud noises
  and high frequency or hissing sounds

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Cattle Health Care(Veterinary Care)

• The objective of the veterinary care program is
  to minimize pain and suffering and to maintain
  animal health and productivity
• Health program
• Regulatory compliance
• Biosecurity

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Cattle Health Care(Veterinary Care)

• Monitor health status
• Caretaker observations
• Performance measures
• Tissue diagnostics
• Serology
• Necropsy
• Prevent disease
• Vaccination
• Subtherapeutic antimicrobials
• Nutritional management (e.g., trace minerals and
  vitamins)
• Parasite control

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Cattle Health Care(Veterinary Care)

• Treat disease
• Isolation
• Individual animal treatment
• Group treatment
• Consult with a veterinarian on drug
  administration
• Keep adequate treatment records for individual
  animals including
• Individual ID
• Name of drug
• Route of administration
• Dose
• Lot number

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Cattle Health Care(Veterinary Care)

• Treatment administration
• Subcutaneous (SC)
• Lateral side of the neck
• Intramuscular (IM)
• Intravenous (IV)
• Oral
• IM injections can cause injection site lesions
  and abscesses therefore, if a drug can be
  administered via either IM or SC route, SC should
  be used
• Give SC injections in the neckavoid damage to
  valuable meat cuts

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Cattle Health Care (Veterinary Care)

• Regulatory compliance
• FDA compliance
• USDA-APHIS animal care
• Beef Quality Assurance Program
• Training of animal users

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Pain and Distress

• Definition of pain A sensation of discomfort
  that may lead to distress and feelings of urgency
  resulting from the stimulation of specialized
  nerve endings

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Signs of Pain and Distress in Beef Cattle

• Lethargy, restlessness
• Lack of appetite
• Increased vocalizations
• Increased aggression
• Guarded posture
• Increased or shallow respiration
• Abnormal appearance or behavior
• Grinding of teeth

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Painful Experiences for Cattle

• Lameness caused by swollen joints, broken bones,
  or hoof damage
• Physical injuries
• Infectious diseases
• Rough handling
• Certain research procedures
• Certain management practices (e.g., castration,
  dehorning, branding)

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Relieving Pain and Distress

• Call the individual listed on the contact sheet
  for that animal use protocol
• Relieve the causative factor
• Provide first aid when necessary

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Euthanasia(painless, rapid death)

• Worker safety and humane euthanasia are important
  considerations
• Refer to the most recent American Veterinary
  Medical Association panel on euthanasia
• IV administration of barbiturates
• Penetrating captive bolt and exsanguination
• Gunshot to the head

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Examples of Research Procedures

• Physical restraint
• Invasive procedures
• Blood collection
• Jugular vein
• Tail vein

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Physical Restraint

• Manual restraint
• Mainly for young animals
• Mechanical restraint
• Squeeze chute
• Pharmaceutical restraint
• Metabolism stalls

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Examples of Invasive Research

• Major surgery is any surgery that penetrates and
  exposes a body cavity or produces substantial
  impairment of physical or physiological function
• Chronic catheterization or cannulation
• Venous
• Ruminal fistula

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• This training module is dedicated to the memory
  of Dr. Julie Morrow for her outstanding
  contribution to animal welfare research and the
  production of this training module.
• Born July 21, 1960,
• Died January 5, 2003.

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• FASS Ag Guide Beef
• Subcommittee
• Frank Mitloehner, PhD, University of California,
  Davis,
• Chair
• Janice Swanson, PhD, Kansas State University
• Bob Smith, DVM, Oklahoma State University
• Dan Sehnert, BS, University of California, Davis
• Temple Grandin, PhD, Colorado State University
• Appreciation is expressed to the USDA-ARS,
  Lubbock, TX, staff Jeff Dailey and Adam Lewis,
  as well as faculty, staff, students,
  and animal research unit managers in the animal
  science departments at Texas Tech University and
  the University of California, Davis.