ABSTRACT
Reducing handling stresses can help improve livestock productivity. Excitement during handling will raise body temperature. Livestock with similar genetic backgrounds will vary greatly in their reaction to stress. Novelty can be a strong stressor if the animal perceives it as being threatening. A single steer or cow separated from its herdmates during handling can become highly agitated and is likely to injure it trying to jump the fence to rejoin its herdmates. The animal's reaction to a handling procedure is affected by an interaction between genetic background and previous experiences. Livestock that are handled every day become accustomed to handling procedures and there is little or no stress. High-pitched sounds such as cracking whips are stressful to cattle, which are more sensitive to high-pitched noises than are humans. The animal will stop moving when the person is no longer within the flight zone.
