Temple Grandin Workshop
8th June 2007
Temple Grandin – Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University, USA, who is a world expert in cattle handling, recently undertook a workshop at FAI Farms.
Dr Grandin is also probably the most accomplished and well-known adult with autism in the world. Even though she was considered "weird" in her young school years, she eventually found a mentor, who recognized her interests and abilities, which she later expanded into becoming a successful livestock handling equipment designer, one of very few in the world. She has designed the facilities in which half the cattle are handled in the United States, consulting for firms such as Burger King, McDonald's, Swift and others.
Dr Grandin has designed cattle handling facilities in the United States, Canada, Europe, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and elsewhere. Her writings on the flight zone and other principles of grazing animal behaviour have helped many people to reduce stress on their animals during handling.
Her methods of livestock handling are designed to improve animal welfare and productivity.
Her work starts with a warning: a single, lone, agitated steer is very dangerous. Many serious cattle handling injuries are caused by a single agitated steer or cow. One man received twenty-seven stitches after he got in the crowd pen with a lone animal and teased it. Also, she adds: Escaped cattle must never be chased. An animal which is loose will return to the stockyard if it is left alone; stay out of the blind spot behind a steer's rear end. If he cannot see you, he is likely to kick you.
“Livestock will follow the leader, and handlers need to take advantage of this natural behaviour to move animals easily,” she says. “Animals will move more easily into a single file chute if it is allowed to become partially empty before attempting to fill it. A partially empty chute provides room to take advantage of following behaviour. Handlers are often reluctant to do this because they are afraid the line will run out; but once a handler learns to use this method, he will find that keeping up with the line will be easier. As animals enter the crowd pen they will head right up the chute.”
Dr Grandin explains that cattle, pigs, and sheep may balk and may refuse to move through a facility if they see distractions such as shadows. If animals refuse to move through an alley, chute or race, there may be a very simple solution.
Once the area is clear of animal traffic, you need to look up the race for common distractions such as:
- Sparkling reflections on puddles
- Reflections on smooth metal
- Chains that jiggle
- Metal clanging or banging
- High pitched noise
- Air hissing - should be silenced with mufflers or piped outside
- Air drafts blowing towards approaching animals
- Clothing hung on the fence
- Piece of plastic that is moving
- Fan blade movement
- Seeing people moving up ahead
- Small object on the floor - such as a coffee cup
- Changes in flooring and texture
- Drain grate on the floor
- Sudden changes in the colour of equipment. Colours with high contrast are the worst
- Race entrance is too dark. Animals will move from a darker place to a brighter place.
- Bright light such as blinding sun. Animals will move from a darker place to a brighter place, but they will not move toward blinding light.
- Animals may balk at one-way and back-up gates. Install them two to three body lengths away from the crowd pen. Equip one-way gates with a remote controlled rope so that they can be held open when the single file race is filled.
“Any one of the items on this list may cause animals to stop moving and prevent a properly designed facility from working efficiently,” she concludes.
THURSDAY 29th JULY - FAI have invited the residents of Wytham village to an informal evening event starting at 7.30pm to view plans for the proposed upgrade to FAI’s Education Centre. Any members of the public who are interested in seeing the proposed plans are welcome to attend.
