Load 'em Up-but "TAKE THE STAIRS"

With the fall run of stocker cattle well under way, many of us have had a recent chance to enjoy just how good --or bad-- our loading facilities are. If your facilities fall into the last category, or are non existent then you might want to take a few minutes and take a look at some economical adjustments to make the trip to payday a little smoother.

The National Beef Quality Audit in 1995 stated that bruising damage came to approximately $5.68/head of fed cattle. That is a pretty big hit if you are shipping on the rail as the bruising is cut off before the carcass is weighed for settlement. If you are shipping live cattle however you are still not off the hook (so to speak) as the buyers are well aware of these numbers and they are bid into the purchase price. Those in the cow calf or stocker industry are also not home free on this one. Although bruising may not be as large a concern, the stockers that have been bounced around loading and unloading will not look as good in the ring. Calves that are limping or sore, with scrapes on the hock or ribs don't do much for your price. So now that we have established that poor loading facilities can hit us in the pocket book-what do we do about it?

We start by putting a little cattle behaviour to work for us. The first thing we try to do is cut down the distractions. This can be accomplished by closing in the sides of the chute or ramp so that the cattle can't see the activity going on outside the chute. This also make the ramp look like the only route of escape. This brings up another point - there has to be an illusion of a way out. If the truck is not well lit inside then it look like a black hole or wall to the cattle. Thus make sure you have good lighting in the chute and you may need to aim it forward into the truck.

Cattle will move on and off the truck easier if they are on the same level as the truck bed when they actually go through the door. This means a flat area of 3 feet min., but better 5 feet at the top of the ramp will help to move cattle in and out of the truck.

This brings us to the "take the stairs" line. Cattle prefer to "take the stairs" rather than going up a ramp. When we think about this it makes a lot of sense. When an animal stands on a ramp it is only catching the very front part of the hoof or toes-even if we have good cleats. Often the ramp is a little slippery and sometimes too steep. We shouldn't have our ramp sloped more than about 30-35 degrees. If cattle are going up stairs however they put the whole hoof flat on the run of the stair. This seems to give them a more secure footing. After a number of studies the rise to run for "cattle stairs" would be a 3 to 3 ½ inch rise with a run of at least 12 inches. The run length can be longer.

What to build out of? Look around for what you have. Ramps have been built from rails, concrete, using old tires, guard rail and combinations of these. Many have used sand and gravel as they provide excellent footing. For more information on loading ramps and variations to suit your set up contact your local OMAF office.

So take a few minutes to review your loading facilities and decide if you should be getting your cattle to "Take The Stairs"

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