Maintaining Low Stress in Cattle is Important While Managing your Herd

Cattle can get stressed for multiple reasons, and if not carefully monitored, it can lead to poor cattle production in your herd. One major cause of stress in cattle is how the cattle are handled. If you own a cow/calf operation, how you do the weaning of the calves can also affect how much stress is put on the calves and cows. Stress can be limited in a herd of cattle by following a few procedures, which can ultimately maybe increase your profit of your herd, and lead to healthier cows.

How you handle cattle can ultimately have an effect of how much stress that can cause the cows. You want to maintain a low stress environment for cattle. When working with cattle, make sure to limit fast movements, as this may spook cattle, and cause them to run. Handling cattle in a calm matter is not only for the cows sake, it’s also for peoples safety. Cattle can get spooked, and if spooked they can be dangerous and could possibly hurt people.

If you run a cow/calf operation, you will have to manage the weaning of the calves when they get to age. Weaning can be a stressful time for both the calves and the cows (mothers). Weaning is when the calves are separated from their mothers to be fed and preconditioned to be sold, and move into their next stage of their life. The way you wean the calves from the cows can ultimately affect how the cows and calves act. The cows (mothers) will sometimes go off feed after their calves are separated. The calves also may not eat right away after weaning, and sometimes get sick.

To help manage a low stress environment in cattle, there are some procedures that can be followed. One is to not make sudden movements. When working with cows, make sure it is a non stressful way. Working with cattle in a non stressful way will ultimately benefit the cows and the people working with the cows. When weaning calves, there are a few procedures to make it easier on the cows and calves. One major procedure that can be followed though, is that you can do fence-line weaning. This is where the calves are either put in a pasture adjacent to or right by the cows (mothers), so that they can still see each other. Being able to see each other, will hopefully result in both the cows and calves continuing to eat, and will be less stressful for them.

Making sure to maintain a low stress environment for your cows, will ultimately benefit you and the cows in the end, because it will lead to better production within your herd. Low stress environments will also contribute to healthier cows, which is one of the most important things that should be done.