There are many things to think about if you want to maximise animal health on farms. How you handle different animals is especially important. It also has a big impact on workers too. Mistakes can cause serious harm to an animal or a worker. So, you need to ensure you plan carefully and put everything in place to protect both.

One area in particular where you need to be very careful is handling cattle. There are lots of risks here, including crushing, kicking, and goring. Animals can also act unpredictably if they are scared or stressed.

What to do?

There are a number of crucial things you should do to make it safer to handle cattle. You need to pay particular attention to the race, the crush, and other equipment. Plus, ensure you know when there is a higher risk of issues.

The race

It is absolutely vital that you have the right race design. It should allow animals to enter easily and funnel them along carefully. Crucially, ensure that the cattle will be able to see the crush and beyond it; that will keep them moving.

A good thing to keep in mind is animals typically don’t like going into dark areas. If you want to make them move more efficiently through the race, make sure it is light at the far end. It can help improve animal health by ensuring they pass through smoothly.

Ideally, a race should be a straight line. However, in some situations it may need to curve. It is fine to do this, but ensure there are no tight turns where animals may get stuck or unconfused.

To maximise safety for workers, make the sides of the race tall enough so animals can’t jump over. Secure them properly too so they won’t move. Workers should only operate gates and doors from the outside. Similarly, they should be able to work with animals without having to enter the race.

The crush

Trying to handle unsecured cattle creates a huge risk of accidents and injuries. Instead, you should have a crush that will hold the animal in place. A restraint should hold the head firmly to allow things like inspections, injections, and ear tagging.

A good crush will prevent an animal from moving forward or backwards. You can use different things here, including a rump bar or rail. Just make sure you think about animal health; don’t choose anything that could hurt the animal.

One of the most important things is to keep the crush stable. If it is permanent, secure it to the ground so it can’t move. If it is mobile, confirm it won’t move while you are using it.

Think about the floor in the crush too. It should be slip resistant so animals will be steady and stable.

Finally, make sure it is safe to work around the crush. Ensure there is space around the animal. Check the lighting, ensuring there is enough natural light or artificial lights if necessary. Provide a covered workbench to make it easier to place tools and other implements.

Higher risks

There are a number of situations when it is more dangerous to handle cattle and there can be a higher risk to animal health. Firstly, be careful with any animals that don’t get frequent handling. They are likely to be jittery and can act more unpredictably. It increases the chance of injuries to animals and workers.

One of the most dangerous things is trying to work around animals that are not properly restrained. Never do it if the animal itself or the following one can move freely. Even more importantly, never use makeshift equipment.

A really important thing to always keep in mind is never to underestimate the cattle. Even with animals you know well that are handled frequently, there is still a chance of issues. You can be more confident if you have good precautions in place, but retain a level of caution.

Get exceptional products to improve animal health

JS Hubbuck Ltd has been working with farmers for generations. As a result, we know our fair share about how to raise animals safely. We have a number of products to help with this. So, speak to us if you need anything, including races and housing.