Highly strung cattle not best feedlot choice

Thursday, April 4, 2013

How fast a calf exits the squeeze after treatment maybe a sign of its temperament and linked to its performance, according to scientists associated with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The most temperamental animals, as determined using a score that included the speed of exiting a chute and travelling a certain distance, failed to show signs associated with disease, even when they were sick after exposure to a bacterial toxin. Maybe more important, the highly strung animals had a lower immune response, and calmer cattle reacted better to a vaccine.

In a related discovery, temperamental animals responded less favourably during transportation, using up more of their fat stores, and were less likely to grade "choice" than less temperamental animals. Longer trips to slaughter reduced the number that graded choice regardless of temperament. The study, based on 36 cattle, was published in the February 2013 issue of Agricultural Research magazine. BF