CALF_News_December_2021_January_2022

16 CALF News • December 2021 | January 2022 • www.calfnews.net CALF ANIMAL HEALTH Chuteside Manner EXPLORING THE FRONTIER OF ANIMAL HEALTH Interaction Is Teaching By Patti Wilson Contributing Editor K ids sit in schools, classrooms and at the kitchen table for a good part of their young lives and are expected to learn. Cattle learn as well. Their classroom is the great outdoors, and every handling experience makes us teachers in their lives. Many thanks for a great interview go to Dave Sjeklocha, DVM. The Kansas- based feedlot practitioner worked at Sublette-area feedyards before joining the staff at Cattle Empire for seven years. He took his current position with Merck in ruminant technical services three years ago. Spending a lifetime studying cattle behavior and handling methods, he has relentlessly trained young cattle producers about proper techniques at the working chute. Sjeklocha explains areas that are often problems while working cattle. His expe- riences deal mainly with calves and year- lings in large groups and facilities that are the norm in weaning and feedlot layouts. His mantra is “interaction is teaching.” Cattle can be taught bad behavior as well as good, affecting them and their handlers throughout their lives. Patrolling the Snake Sjeklocha points out the problems that regularly occur from the end of the alley up to the chute, beginning with the “sifter,” who may bring too many cattle into the alley and purposefully lets some by, hoping to have enough left to fill the alley by the time he gets there. Letting cattle escape teaches them that they can . He recommends taking only as many as needed to full the snake (alley). Cattle that get by too many times are “trained to escape,” and each mistake we make affects the next handler, possibly resulting in people who get run over. Sjeklocha emphasizes that each inter- action with a human is a learning experi- ence. For example, consider the number of people cattle will interact with as they move through the marketing channels. Catwalk Annoyance One of Sjeklocha’s pet peeves is people who stand on the catwalks and lean on the alley itself. He says it seems to be human nature or just a bad habit for people to do. Cattle can see arms rest- ing on top of the alley and talking heads. They would like to move away, but there’s no place to go. Solid-sided facilities have probably encouraged this behavior, as we tend to think the cattle can’t see us. The situation induces unnecessary stress. He explains that, currently, many alleyways are being built with open sides, so cattle can see out. Handlers are trained to step away from the alley, out of the flight zone, until it’s time for the livestock to move forward.“Let them know they are responding to us,” he advises. Move all the cattle in the snake forward when you move even one.When the rear of the alley is empty, more cattle can be added, improving cattle flow. Sjeklocha doesn’t appreciate double alleys. Short doubles may be all right, as long as they funnel into one chute and cattle can keep moving. Double alleys often force cattle to stand too long, causing stress. Ditch the Prods Do not carry electric prods. Leave them hanging in a designated spot in case of an emergency. They are heavy, unhandy and break easily anyway. Sjeklocha says we can do better in reducing their use, but we’ve come a long way in a short time. Advice for the Chute Man Hydraulic chutes have lots of levers, more than the average guy has hands. It is most efficient and safer to use both hands when operating hydraulics. A poor catch in the chute can bruise the stock. Keep the floor of the chute open enough so cattle want to go in. Admit- tedly, a narrow chute floor can prevent cattle from going down, but it hinders the flow of stock and increases the use of electric prods. Keep the floor open. Open the tailgate as the calf in the chute exits. Up front, you’ ll want the next calf to enter the headgate slow enough to prevent bruising and shoulder abscesses. In addition to bruising, stress- ing the stock can have a negative effect on rumen flora, adding another potential setback at an already critical time. When done working, chute release should, again, be done with two hands. Open the head gate and wait for the steer to realize he’s loose. He’ ll move forward by himself, and you can let the squeeze off slightly, automatically setting the squeeze for the next calf. ABOVE: The world is a classroom to yearling stockers like these, who have already been through a chute several times. Low-stress handling techniques teach safe manners from which both livestock and people benefit.