Growing Beef Newsletter
September 2024, Volume 15, Issue 3
Acclimation study shows subtle yet positive benefits for calves
Grant Dewell, ISU extension beef veterinarian
Cattle acclimation into the feedyard involves low stress handling and behavior to desensitize cattle to their new environment and facilitate social herd behavior. The basic acclimation procedures include encouraging cohesive herd formation within the home pen, moving the herd around the pen, followed by moving cattle through the processing facility. The aim is to familiarize cattle with experiences and reinforce herd structure. Moving calves out of their pen, through the processing facility, and back to their pen helps them know that is their home pen, and that they can go back where they came from. It is best if the person acclimating calves will be responsible for checking calves on a daily basis so that calves become accustomed to that person. Training calves to walk past the person will assist later when trying to evaluate cattle health.
A basic acclimation process would be to let the calves rest for a day after arrival and then begin with initial acclimation step. During the first step the objective is get calves to form a group to encourage herd behavior. Calves that want to initiate random movement can be turned back into the group to encourage them to remain within the herd.
Once calves are willing to maintain a group they can be moved around the pen once or twice. Try to discourage an all out run, but trotting is OK as long as the group is interested in moving together. The next day will focus more on getting calves to walk as a group around the pen and if possible, have them walk in a single file line past the handler. This process will help the cattle trust that they can walk past the handler and encourage calm behavior.
After cattle will walk as a group, it's an ideal time to acclimate them through the processing facility. This helps desensitize calves to the facility and the process of going out of a pen. Going through the facility and returning to their home pen reinforces that this is their new home by the act of going back where they came from. The calves can then be processed normally the next day. A day or two after processing it is a good idea to have at least one more acclimation session with the calves just to make sure they are maintaining their herd structure.
Differences between acclimated and non-acclimated calves are subtle but can be detected. Many people notice that acclimated calves are quieter in both their home pen and when they are worked through the processing facility. Acclimated calves are calmer and don’t tend to freeze when in the squeeze chute, but they do exit faster (probably because they know where they are going having been trained to go through the processing facility already.) Acclimated calves have a lower motion index score based on accelerometer data during the first 2 weeks in the feedyard indicating that there is less random movement within the pen. Acclimated calves have lower serum cortisol levels, although that does not always translate to lower respiratory morbidity. However, overall mortality tends to be lower for acclimated calves.
Acclimation can be implemented with newly arrived feedlot cattle for 5-10 minutes a day (not counting acclimating through processing facility) for 3-5 days, and has several beneficial impacts for cattle.
This monthly newsletter is free and provides timely information on topics that matter most to Iowa beef producers. You’re welcome to use information and articles from the newsletter - simply credit Iowa Beef Center.
