Calf and human perspectives about handling and restraint during western Canadian beef calf processing events
Date
2023-01-23
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Abstract
Beef calf processing involves individually handling and restraining calves for procedures such as castration, branding, and vaccination. It also serves an important sociocultural purpose for those in the ranching community. The method by which people handle and restrain calves during processing differs among operations. In western Canada, the most common methods are roping and wrestling (RW), roping and Nord fork (RNF), and using a tilt table (TT). However, the calf welfare implications of these methods, as well as how these common methods are perceived by participants in western Canadian beef calf processing events, are unknown. The first study (Chapter 2) compared the effects of the three common methods of handling and restraint (i.e., RW, RNF, and TT) used to process calves on behavioural indicators associated with calf welfare. It was found that overall, differences detected in the effect of these methods on various indicators during processing were inconsistent. After processing, RNF calves displayed the highest rates of foot stomping, followed by RW calves, then TT calves. This was the first study to evaluate the effects of common handling and restraint methods used in western Canadian beef calf processing events on behavioural indicators associated with calf welfare, as well as include the roping and Nord fork method. The second study (Chapter 3) described how people who participate in processing events perceive common handling and restraint methods used for pre-weaned beef calves on western Canadian cow-calf operations. In this study, it was revealed that participants in western Canadian beef calf processing events prefer the roping and wrestling method the most and the tilt table the least. However, the underlying values behind participants’ indicated preferences shared much in common. Specifically, the values of calf safety and minimizing calf stress, efficiency, convenience, and human safety and limiting labour intensity were shared by many participants when considering handling and restraint methods for processing, regardless of their noted preferences. This was the first time the current perceptions of participants in western Canadian beef calf processing events regarding the common handling and restraint methods were described.
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beef calf, beef cattle, animal welfare, animal behaviour, calf processing, mixed methods
Citation
Arkangel, L. (2023). Calf and human perspectives about handling and restraint during western Canadian beef calf processing events (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.