Cattle Handling - Tips and Why Learning the Skills Matters When Keeping Cattle

Many people take it for granted that acquiring
good beef is as easy as taking a drive to the
nearest meat shop. Everyday, people from all
over the world eat meat; not giving a thought to
the effort (in research and in physical work) it
took for that piece of Angus steak to get in the
market. If you plan to start a cattle farming
business and be part of a billion-dollar
industry, there are a lot of things you have to
learn, such as cattle handling.

There is more to cattle handling that just being
able to rope a cow moving at 20 miles per hour.
What you need to do is learn the ropes. That is
just the first aspect though, the second aspect
in cattle handling is getting the right
equipment.

Learning the Ropes

You need to know about the animals that you are
going to take care of. Most cattle farmers also
take care of horses, and some raise poultry. You
need to know about those animals because you need
to anticipate their actions, and the situations
that they would most likely be in, and you need
to know how you can react to it. For example,
you need to know how to move them from one place
to another without getting them all wired up. You
also need to know about diseases - whether those
illnesses are fatal, contagious or common in
your area.

One surefire way to do this is by working on a
cattle farm. Nothing beats first-hand knowledge.
If you are hell-bent on starting your own as soon
as you can, then what you can do is talk to
veterinarians, other ranchers, your neighbors,
and the locals (especially if you have just
moved in). Another way to learn about cattle
handling is by checking on online resources.
There are community forums for cattle farmers.
Join one, ask around and start learning.

Equipment

Now, aside from learning the fundamentals of
raising cattle, you need to get the right cattle
handling equipment. The items under this list are
calf tables, squeeze chutes, cattle headgates,
cattle scales and other accessories. Note that
these are needed in keeping the animals still
for veterinary check-ups and weighing, as well
as in moving the cattle.

Calf tables are commonly used in veterinary
check-ups, castration, and branding. Some calf
tables have an adjustable floor width and a leg
hobble for castration.

Cattle headgates are used in catching cattle,
sick or otherwise. Some cattle headgates are
automatic. They have a self-catching mechanism
that allows you to catch cattle without a
partner - just run the cow up the alley, and
you're good to go. Squeeze chutes are
'containers' for cattle. These are used in
transporting cattle and for injections since
they restrict movement. Some squeeze chutes come
with levers for adjusting floor height, removable
bottom panels for access and a hook to connect to
a truck or a vehicle cab.

Other cattle handling accessories are head
chains, headgate frames or stands and cattle
scales.

After learning the ropes and getting equipment,
you should be ready to engage in serious cattle
handling activities. Just remember that whatever
you do, and whatever you use, it should be as
cowboy-friendly and as cow-friendly as possible.
Your safety matters; and your cattle's health is
important too. After all, they are, literally
and figuratively speaking, your milking cows.

----------------------------------------------------
Looking for more tips on cattle handling?
Separate yourself from the usual cattle owners
and avoid costly mistakes. Visit the raising
cattle website today to discover everything you
need to know and how easy it is to raise your
own cattles. Go to:
http://www.howtoraisecattle.com

EasyPublish this article: http://submityourarticle.com/articles/easypublish.php?art_id=197203

>