Creating Good Energy in the Chute
By Caitlin Richards
Sometimes the only positive thing about working or shipping cattle is the dollar sign from the day’s efforts. Working cattle and shipping day doesn’t have to be a stressful and intense experience though. With proper stockmanship practices, it can be a breeze.
“[Practicing quality stockmanship] makes it easier for the producer and the cattle,” says experienced cattle handler Randy Hunter, DVM. “If you make it easy for yourself and the cattle you both can enjoy your day.”
Hunter has processed thousands of cattle and speaks from experience. He established a stocker operation, Hunter Cattle Company LLC, which purchases several thousand calves yearly, grazes them and then sells them as yearlings. He has also participated in contract work in feedlots and research studies with Veterinary Research and Consulting Services LLC.
A key component of processing cattle is the overall working pen area, including the chute, alley, and corral pen.
In addition, a smooth processing day starts with having the right demeanor for creating a composed atmosphere in the working pen area.
“If you can set the mode and mood for the day, and then go about it in a good stockmanship manner, it’s a whole lot better,” Hunter says.
Being in a hurry and having one person yelling louder than another is not the way to go. These actions often put unneeded pressure on the cattle. Ranchers might consider beginning the process by being at ease themselves and paying attention to how the cattle respond to their movements and actions.
“I call it the wave theory,” Hunter says. “It’s when you go into a pen of cattle and see that big wave, depending on the energy level of cattle. It is very important to pay attention to how much energy you are creating in the pen.”
When a rancher enters the pen to move cattle to the alley, and eventually the chute, Hunter explains that running into the pen might cause the cattle to expend a large amount of energy in moving away. This is counterproductive. He recommends that ranchers stop for a second, watch the cattle and let the energy dissipate.
“[The cattle] will usually go to the other side of the corral and then will start to come back to you,” Hunter says. “Use that energy and add to it when it is going the direction you want.”
As cosmic as it sounds, creating a safe working pen environment is all about the energy. Ranchers set the pace as soon as they call the cattle into the area. Mastering the wave energy flow may seem out of reach, but Hunter shares an exercise he does with cattle to achieve this energy flow.
First, Hunter determines the level of nervousness in the cattle. If they are nervous, he will stand outside the pen area until they relax. Then he moves them into an alley. The alley is floored with dirt to prevent injuries to the cattle’s feet.
The alley should be large enough to allow for equal thirds of space — a third for the cattle, a third for the human and a third for space into which the cattle can move.
Hunter stresses the importance of never asking the cattle to go somewhere without providing them a place to go, which is where the equal thirds come into play.
Hunter will then begin walking towards the cattle, driving them to one end of the alley. Next, he will step into the cattle with his body facing the fence, causing them to move by him. It is important here to not force the cattle to go by but instead let them go by. Hunter places a heavy emphasis on the “let.”
“I will do that and pass them back and forth,” Hunter says. “What I am looking for is for the cattle to look at me when they go by. That’s my tell-all sign that they are starting to relax enough that you can do something with them.”
After enough passes to make the cattle comfortable with him, Hunter will start backing up and stopping them. It’s at that point, Hunter says, that the cattle are trained and comfortable.
Hunter will spend whatever time it takes to accomplish this level of comfort with the set of cattle he is working with. It usually takes him less than 45 minutes to achieve this. Sometimes all it takes is one or two passes. However, with one particularly flighty set of cattle, it took him 55 minutes.
Signs of pressure on cattle
The way a rancher handles cattle during all interactions is an important key to achieving comfort on processing day. If cattle are handled with ease during feeding and when they are checked in the pasture, they will be more at ease during the entire process as a whole.
“It’s important to know when you are putting pressure on the cattle,” Hunter says. “Most people don’t know when they are causing pressure on the cattle.”
Some signs from the cattle to pay attention to, Hunter suggests, are eye movement, head movement and feet movement, in that order.
If movement seems fearful and uneasy, ranchers should pause and then change their energy and direction to produce a more at-ease demeanor from the cattle. Starting these practices early with the herd will reap relaxing rewards on processing day.
Give them a place to go
A key component of a smooth processing day is Hunter’s rule of never asking the cattle to move without first giving them a place to go.
After a rancher has the cattle comfortable to go by them instead of stepping into them, the cattle need a place to go to continue the overall flow of energy. Ranchers will most likely be stepping into the cattle to signal them down the alley towards the chute.
Hunter says, “Don’t ask a cow to go unless the chute is open and she has a place she perceives she can go.” This principle of overall energy and flow also has an important timing component. A good chute operator will have good timing. For the most part, cattle will follow behind the first one with ease. Hunter suggests that ranchers use this characteristic to their advantage.
“A good chute operator will open the head catch, open the squeeze and let the cow go,” Hunter says, “but he will also have the back gate open at the same time. The result is that he can draw the next cow behind because it will follow the other one.”
It is also important for the person in the area just before the chute, the lead-up area, to be paying attention to when cattle should be signaled to move forward. Timing is key, according to Hunter, because even if you do the right thing at the wrong time it is still wrong.
Setting a relaxed pace and looking for the movement of energy will result in smoother processing days and possibly a greater financial return.
Rushing around in a high-stress environment can lead to injuries. If cattle are fearful, they could try to bail out of the alley, breaking a leg, or could hit the chute too hard, leading to hurt shoulders.
Ease is the key when it comes to measuring pounds that return dollars. Hunter says that cattle shrink, or lose weight, at the rate of about 1 percent of body weight per hour during handling. More and stressful handling decrease pounds and therefore, dollars.
Implementing Hunter’s stockmanship advice for creating good energy around the cattle handling area and squeeze chute can increase the producer’s bottom line, and it’s good for the public perception of ranching. Hunter reminds ranchers to be mindful of a watching public.
“We set an example to someone every time we do something,” he says. “With that being said, you should act like somebody is watching all the time and do it for the right reasons. Meaning that it is good for the industry, it’s good for your cattle, and it’s good for the perception that we present to the public.” ❚
“Creating Good Energy” is excerpted from the July 2017 issue of The Cattleman magazine.