STRESS is a killer for feedlot cattle, writes KIM WOODS
Veterinarian Kevin Sullivan is travelling Australia, teaching lotfeeders to put out the welcome mat.
Not to beef producers, but to their bovine progeny.
Dr Sullivan, from Bell in southeast Queensland, consults to feedlots in all states on cattle handling, animal health and welfare.
He said cattle needed to be comfortable on arrival at the feedlot with a clean pen, water trough, and feed in the bunk.
Confinement anxiety was a common problem among lotfed cattle.
"Cattle can live anywhere and don't die in big numbers, but once they are confined, things change," he said.
Stress, triggered by poor handling, could cripple their immune system.
"Once we understand that, we can improve the cattle's health and performance," Dr Sullivan said.
He said lotfed cattle health was worsening in Australia due to younger entry weights.
Morbidity rates due to respiratory disease were up to 50 per cent, with death rates at 5 per cent.
"Twenty years ago, two and four-tooth cattle were (lot) fed, but now they are eight-month-old calves and their immune systems are not fully developed," Dr Sullivan said.
"Our goal is to have the handler seen as a leader by the cattle and not a predator."
Dr Sullivan said handlers needed to upgrade their powers of observation as cattle were skilled at watching them.
Communication needed to be by body language, not verbally.
"Cattle have eyes that can see 270 degrees around but cannot see anything directly behind them or above," Dr Sullivan said.
"They have a poor depth of perception. If an object is not moving in the distance they really don't know what it is.
"Cattle also travel in straight lines and not in circles so it is important not to have circular yards."
Dr O'Sullivan said handlers should enter a yard and travel in a sideways movement, or see-saw, so the cattle could observe them.
"The point of balance is their eye, so position yourself at the eye to work them backwards and forwards," he said.
"Cattle need to see where we expect them to go. Cattle body language is about position, distance, angle and timing. Saying hello is proper presentation to the animal and keep the atmosphere positive.
"A handler must have an even demeanour, as cattle wake up the same every day."
Feed bunks and water troughs needed to be pressure-free zones, Dr Sullivan said.
"Do not vocalise, goad or poke," he said.
"Identify the first cattle to move and get these in your confidence to work with you as they will drive the rest of the herd.
"These leaders are often in the middle of the herd. Teach the cattle to work as a herd by walking parallel to the side, and work them from the front or near the gate."
Dr Sullivan said stale cattle, or those not eating well, and lame animals should be encouraged to exercise each day. This would stimulate their water and feed intake.
When observing a pen of cattle for sickness, he recommended comparing the group to the one next door, looking for cattle hiding in the mob and listening for noisy pens.
Consultant veterinarian Tony Batterham said receival and processing practices in the first 24 to 48 hours at a feedlot were critical.
Dr Batterham, of Quirindi Feedlot Services, said a low density environment was needed, with access to good-quality hay.
Bunk space of 30-45cm each was ideal, plus bedding if the transit was long or rough. He recommended a pen density of 12-15square metres a head, and a rest of four to eight hours before processing.
Cattle then needed to be inducted with respiratory vaccines, parasite treatments, implants, clostridial and anthrax vaccines, and an intranasal vaccine for bovine rhinotracheitis.
Dr Batterham said pestivirus vaccinations should be given on-farm to weaners two weeks before feedlot entry.
Pestivirus, known as cattle AIDS, was highly contagious and could spread rapidly.
