MILLERSBURG, Ohio — How did you learn to handle livestock? Did you learn from your parents or grandparents, or from an employee? Do you move them quietly and calmly, or do you yell and wave your arms and shake a pipe?

Just because people have always done it one way, doesn’t mean they can’t improve their technique. That was the message from Dr. Jim Honigford, a partner in Sugar Creek Veterinary Services, Sugar Creek, Ohio.

He was a presenter at the 2015 Family Farm Field Day on the Lloyd Miller Farm in Millersburg. "The public has different views about how we should handle animals," he said. "The public is changing and we have to change with them, we have to adapt. Our farms are no longer private, and farmers need to be proactive in presenting a positive image to the public."

But Honigford contends there is more at stake than public perception, when it comes to handling animals. There are economic benefits to handling livestock properly. First, calm cows are 30-50 percent more profitable than animals that are scared or nervous around people.

Second, 13 percent of farm workers’ time off was due to injury and 75 percent of those injuries were livestock-related. He said many of those injuries were because of people moving cows and not thinking about safety. The key, according to Honigford, is to move cows calmly and easily.

"Cows can see about 300 degrees around their body, but they can only see about 60 inches vertically," he said. "They also have very acute hearing and they can pick up sounds easily; they are sound-sensitive and curious. The problem is that they can’t identify where the sounds are coming from. If you shout at your cows, that is worse than using a hot shot. These girls are not dumb."

Cows move at about 2.5-3 mph, according to Honigford, and tend to move in a zigzag pattern. He added it helps to understand the animal’s flight zone and when you handle them in a calm quiet manner, you can get closer to the animal’s shoulders, which is their main point of balance.

"Cows tend to pack together, they like to move together and do things together," he explained. "Cows will protect their calves, bulls will protect their space."

He recommends any time farmers are working with a bull, there should be two people. "You are not as likely to get hurt by a wild bull as you are a tame bull," he said. "Bulls who are hand-raised tend to be more aggressive than bulls raised with other cattle."

Honigford said a cow’s experiences start when they are a calf, so producers need to make sure young calves have a good experience when they are working with them.

"If you are moving a young calf, use a cart or a wheel barrow, don’t drag them," he said. "Walk the pen in a calm and easy manner. Let the animal experience you in a good way. Let them move away from you if they want to."

Another new experience for cows happens when they freshen with their first calf. "Every time you work with a cow or heifer on a transitioning event, make it a good experience," he said.

"Fresh heifers have to make a lot of adjustments quickly. Make sure that the first day they are fresh is not their first time in the parlor. Let them get used to their surroundings."

He said when cows get excited, it causes an adrenalin rush. "That is not good if you are a cow, because it decreases oxytocin and decreases milk letdown. When cows are nervous, they are more likely to urinate or defecate in the parlor or stall. Quiet handling is less stressful on the cows and it is less stressful on the handlers."

He doesn’t recommend trying to raise an orphan animal, as they don’t identify with their species. "You need to teach cows to be cows," he said.