Working with Cattle

• Good handling facilities are essential when handling cattle and other livestock.
• A proper crush is a must for safe livestock handling
• Use a well designed calving gate when calving cows
• Many serious farming accidents occur when loading and unloading livestock
• Provide suitable facilities for loading and unloading animals
• All bulls are potentially dangerous. Always, fit a ring and chain to a stock bull when it is out in the field and exercise great caution if you need to enter the field with the bull
• If entering the field or herding always use a tractor or suitable farm vehicle as a mobile sanctuary from the bull

Handling facilities play a major role in preventing injury.

• The race and crush should be placed where stock can be assembled easily
• Having handling facilities at out-farms or locations remote from the farmyard reduces unnecessary movement of stock
• Well-designed handling facilities reduce the risk of injury involving livestock. Specifications for livestock handling and housing facilities are available from the website of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
• Never enter the crush with livestock, since crushing, particularly of the chest, can cause serious injury or death
• Wear boots with steel toe-caps to help prevent foot injuries

How should a bull be handled?

• From an early age, the bull should learn to associate the presence of people with pleasant things such as feeding, grooming and exercise
• All bulls should be ringed when 10 months old, and the ring should be examined regularly
• Consider having an aggressive bull slaughtered
• When grazing a bull with the herd, make maximum use of fields where the public do not have access
• Any field in which a bull is kept should be securely fenced and gates safely secured and maintained

• It is recommended that a strong chain which touches the ground should be fitted
• A tractor or suitable farm vehicle should always be provided as a mobile sanctuary
• Young children should not be allowed into a field where a bull is running
• A safety sign warning of a bull's presence should be displayed adjacent to public places, particularly at access pointsA well-designed bull pen is essential for managing a bull when it is away from the herd. The design should allow the stockman to feed and bed the bull without entering the pen
• A bull pen should be located where the bull can see other animals. On dairy farms the pen should be located where the bull can see cows going to and from the parlour or paddocks

• The calving area should have adequate space and be well bedded. It should be tidy and free from obstructions and have good lighting
• Properly used calving jacks can reduce the possibility of back injury
• Many farmers injure themselves while lifting and swinging new-born calves to revive them. Basic mechanical lifting aids, such as a pulley system in the calving pen, can prevent a back injury
• Keep the calf between you and the heifer or cow and have an escape route planned. Do not turn your back on the cow
• Keep children away from the calving area. A dog in or near the calving area is likely to upset cows

Animals being transported or moved can become stressed and may react unpredictably and cause injury.

• Loading and unloading facilities should be designed to streamline the process. This is best achieved by having a door or gate to the assembly area that matches the width of the livestock trailer
• A crush can be used to load animals safely
• Make sure there are adequate ramp gates on a livestock trailer, otherwise livestock may charge the tail door and
  cause serious injury