Stockhandling Clinic

On the weekend of the second and third of Feb, Sean Barrett from QLD held a stock handling clinic on the Lloyd property in Darkan. The weather was kind to us, in fact  jumpers were necessary in the morning.

The weekend was a real learning experience and those in attendance went home with a new set of tools to make working with their livestock a much more pleasant experience.

Some of the methods we used were simple but profound. It was amazing what a difference it made to the stock and the way they reacted to us.Working in the correct position in relation to the stock, the gateway or whatever can make stockwork much easier.

We covered all areas of stock work, penning in the shed, using a v machine, counting sheep, mustering ewes and lambs. There is an easier way to do everything.

Research has shown that livestock that are exposed to constant stress have significantly lower production. It may take weeks after a 'stress event' for them to recover and start gaining weight or growing wool again.

Animals that are stressed show reduced performances such as low weight gains, susceptibility to disease, low milk yield and high pre weaning mortalities.

Stress happens when an occurrence in the animals environment causes their control mechanisms to become overtaxed so they no longer work effectively and efficiently.

Livestock have an innate fear of people and fear is a very potent stressor.

The fear can be reduced if the interaction of animal and person is not unpleasant.

Most situations involve unpleasant experiences for the animal, such as cramming them into pens, hitting them or using noisy or flapping objects constantly or mustering them long distances at a pace that causes them to become distressed.

If we can make their first handling experience good or neutral it is proven that they then have less fear in the future. Fear also causes animal to behave erratically and wildly making them more difficult to control.

It make sense to learn how to handle your animals quietly and calmly. Some people have been working livestock all their lives and still have no understanding of how the animal thinks and so how best to control and move them.

All animals have a flight zone which varies from animal to animal. We need to understand and work just within the flight zone, so the animal moves quietly in the direction we want it to go. Too close will cause them to bolt on any direction and too far away will have no effect.

The stock yards can become an unpleasant place to be, with dogs racing around barking and biting, people yelling and flapping bags or noisy objects, or in the paddock the incessant beeping or horns and revving of bikes. It is no wonder the stock do not want to be yarded. There are easier ways.

Control and better placement of the dogs,  training them to lay down quietly when they are not needed and keeping noise levels low will calm things down.  Also we need to understand that the animal is not deliberately trying to be difficult, but they are simply terrified and trying to escape, so by taking the pressure of the animal when they are doing the right thing or going the right way we can give them relief from stress.

What we want to achieve is 'good movement'. 'Good movement' is is when the animals move smoothly and all in the same direction. 'Bad movement' prevents stock from following and is evident when animals are hesitant to move, turn away from the desired direction or attempt to cut back. An example is when trying to yard a large mob. If to much pressure is put on the back of the mob  they will split and try to run past the handlers in a panic as there is no where else to go. The front must first be cleared before the back of the mob will go smoothly into the yard.

Stress free stock handling means less stress for the stock and the handler.

Most of us never consider whether our livestock are happy or not. But happy livestock are more profitable.

On the weekend we put a mob of sheep in the shearing shed in such a way that they were happy to be there and in fact stayed there with the door wide open until we had to drive them out an hour or so later.

It is the same with weaners. When they are first weaned and put into a new paddock, they need to be happy and settled or they will not thrive, and will not eat and drink well. So it makes sense to ensure they are comfortable in their new environment.

With pressure from animal liberationists increasing we need to consider the way we handle our livestock and be seen to be making an attempt to handle them in the most humane way that we can.