March 2016

Effects of initial handling practices on behavior and average daily gain of fed steers

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between handling methods, cattle behavior during handling, and average daily gain (ADG) of feed yard cattle.  Hereford steers (n = 496; initial body weight [BW] = 304 ± 35.6 kg) of similar genetic background were enrolled in this study after arrival at a commercial feed yard in Southwest Kansas. Two handling conditions prior to the working barn...

Author(s): R. Woiwode, T. Grandin, B. Kirch and J. Paterson