Livestock Safety doesn’t only mean ensuring the wellbeing of your herd; it also means keeping yourself safe when working with your stock. Here’s everything you need to know about the subject.
Livestock Safety for You and the Herd
While there have been accidents caused by grumpy bulls or sows protecting their new litter, the fact is that many other livestock accidents are caused by incorrect handling of equipment and substandard facilities. It’s important to stay sharp around your animals to make sure needless injuries don’t occur.
Livestock Safety means keeping your animals safe, but it also means keeping yourself safe while working with them. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
Always respect your animals. Even if they’re usually docile and mild-mannered, you should remember that animals act by instinct and can become aggressive or out of control when they are frightened, hurt, or otherwise provoked. Males tend to be more dangerous in general than females, simply because they are territorial and hardwired to fight to maintain their dominance in the herd. Females can be a danger, however, when they have given birth.
Watch your animals for signs of aggression or distress. A jittery animal is unpredictable; also look for bared teeth, rearing back, nipping, and flattened ears. Treat nervous or agitated animals with the utmost caution.
Walk slowly and approach cautiously. Livestock don’t have a very wide range of vision, and they can be easily startled if you walk up behind them, or move quickly around them. They can injure themselves or other animals if they’re spooked. Give the animal a wide berth as you approach it, and talk to it in a soothing voice to alert it that you’re approaching.
Livestock Breeds 
Livestock Care - Wellness 
