Section 2: Focus- From the Cow's Point of View

Section 2: Focus From the Cow's Point of View

Most livestock farmers and ranchers treat their cattle like extended family members, and for good reason. The better farmers/ranchers understand the behavior of their livestock, the smaller the chance they will place themselves in an unsafe situation and/or place undue stress on their livestock. A basic understanding of livestock behavior can be useful while choosing and installing livestock guards, gates, and latches. This article provides only a brief introduction to livestock behavior. For more in- depth information, please visit some of the Internet sites listed in the resources section.

Unlike humans, cattle have panoramic vision (see Figure 1), which means they can see almost all the way around themselves without moving their heads. A cow's depth perception, (see Figure 2) however, is only focused in a small forward view (e.g., while a cow might be able to see you standing at its side, it cannot necessarily judge how close or far away you actually are). This might explain why a cow can be startled when you approach even though you have been in its field of vision for some time.

Grazing animals are much more sensitive to high frequency sounds than humans (e.g., cattle are most sensitive to 8 kilohertz [khz], while humans are sensitive to 1-3 khz). Cattle also fear abrupt contrasts of light and dark and have a different reaction to moving objects than might be expected. Some of these differences are a natural consequence of grazing animals being "prey" species. Finally, an animal's "flight zone" or "how close you can get to an animal before it moves away from you" is an important fact to know in order to determine how best to corral, gate, and generally handle cattle without causing them stress.

In the next section on Assistive Technology, we'll review different models of livestock guards, gates, and latches. The proper use of guards, gates, and latches will contribute to improved livestock behavior along with improved safety for cattle and for farmers/ranchers with and without a disability.

	Figure 1. Cattle have panoramic vision; they can see everything except what is directly behind them.
	Figure 2. Cattle have very limited depth perception. While a cow may see you standing at its side, it cannot judge your distance.

To learn more about animal behavior and animal handling safety, visit these websites:

http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/ (search on animal behavior)

http://www.grandin.com/

http://www.agr.gov.sk.ca/

http://www.fao.org/ (search on livestock)

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In This Issue
Section 1: Client Story—Maintaining a Way of Life in Minnesota Section 2: Focus on Livestock Behavior Section 3: Assistive Technology Notes	Section 4: State Project Feature—Connecting with MAP Section 5: Resources