Temperament Affects Performance

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Temperament Affects Performance

Darrell Busby, Iowa Beef Extension Specialist, SW Iowa recently reported on data collected on cattle fed in their Tri-County Steer Carcass Futurity. A summary of his data is presented below.

Compared to docile cattle, aggressive cattle:
· Gained 8.2% less in the feedlot
· Used feed 1.8% less efficiently
· Had 20% fewer Choice or higher carcasses
· Had 115% more Standard carcasses
· Had 51% fewer CAB carcasses
· Showed a decreased profit of $62.19/head

Disposition score by breed
Breed Disposition Score
Hereford 1.3
Simmental, Red Angus, Angus 1.6
Gelbvieh 1.7
Charolais 1.8
Limosin 1.9
Brangus 2.2
Disposition score 1=docile, 2=restless, 3=nervous


Effect of using a hot shot on performance and disposition score
Day 1no hot shot Day 2no hot shot Day 1no hotshot Day 2use of hot shot
Processing time, sec/hd 42.8 36.9 (-9.3) 43.8 36.9 (-6.9)
Disposition score 2.01 1.84(-0.17) 1.62 2.20(+0.58)
Disposition score 1=docile, 2=restless, 3=nervous

Conclusion:
- Hot shots increased disposition score without decreasing processing time.
- Breed has less effect on disposition than does management.

(Source: 2007 National Beef Cattle Evaluation Consortium's "Brown Bagger Symposium. )

 

[grannysoo]

Thanks for the info! Calm cows are good cows.......

(And I don't even own a hot-shot)

 

[dun]

(And I don't even own a hot-shot)

The last time we vaccinated the cows I had just installed a scale in the alleyway. The cows balked and were really hard to get through since there was something new. I commented under my breath that sometimes I wished I had a hotshot. Number one our vet won;t work with cows if a hotshot is used, but his comment was that it wouldn;t help that much this time and it would only make things worse next time.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I totally agree. Best to "work thru" any balking as "gently" as possible, than each time they get better.

 

[Hippie Rancher]

Hot shots. Grampa had old gentle Herefords. I think somebody must have given him his hot shot in the 70's. He never used it much, but trying to move those old slugs through the chute was a temptation, I am sure. I never liked it when I was younger because all it seemed to do was make them kick and with the short shaft that thing has it was likely YOU were going to be the one that got it.

I have dug the old thing out a couple times in the last 20 years when an animal got down in the chute. It can give the right impetus to get a critter to try one more time to get up.

 

[IL Rancher]

Hot shots just seem to get them all worked up.. Of course we always eem to have one or two rips in the bunch that are nuts no matter what you do. Generally they end up going down the road as kill cattle so the number of trouble has decreased. Most aren't a problem at all until you get them in the darn chute, lol. The one thing I remember well was when we had a vet that loved them. First time it got the trouble makers moving better but next time the cows came into the chute all heck broke out. Took months for them to act normal again in the chute, thinking it was one preg check to the next before they calmed down. He got out that shot and I told him to put the darn thing away.

 

[Jogeephus]

Old neighbor was moving his herd out west to a new farm he bought. He didn't believe in using a hotshot or sticks. Truck driver pulled in at 7:00 a.m and they began trying to load the cattle into the truck at 7:30 a.m. He always bragged on how he could talk his cows into the chute or wherever he wanted. Well he finally did. Truck pulled out at 9:00 pm sharp with one very PO'ed driver.

I don't particularly care for them but I do use them when I have too. But since they are built so cheaply, mine never seems to work when I need it so I guess you could say I don't use one.

 

[rkm]

They calm cows crazy and crazy cows impossible.

 

[mnmtranching]

Man! I moved 150 head of cow/calves from pasture last 2 days, by myself. No shocker, just a sorting stick. The only problems I had was with the Bosses two 06 bottle calves. Now 1100 pound bred heifers. Jeez are they spoiled, had to push them in the trailer. :roll: :roll: But no, would never use a electric prod. Only makes you problems down the road. Might be different for cattle going to sale. then someone else has to deal with shocked cattle.

 

[Susie David]

Finally broke down and bought a hot shot this past fall....had to load a cow that historically was a hard load and never had seen a prod before....one hit and she was in the front of the trailer and not looking to back up.
Have used it one or two times since on stubborn animals and have noticed that after working them with the prod they really respond to a sorting stick...just raise the stick and they start moving toward the alley.
DMc

 

[Limomike]

Temperament Affects Performance



Disposition score by breed
Breed Disposition Score
Hereford 1.3
Simmental, Red Angus, Angus 1.6
Gelbvieh 1.7
Charolais 1.8
Limosin 1.9
Brangus 2.2
Disposition score 1=docile, 2=restless, 3=nervous


Effect of using a hot shot on performance and disposition score
Day 1no hot shot Day 2no hot shot Day 1no hotshot Day 2use of hot shot
Processing time, sec/hd 42.8 36.9 (-9.3) 43.8 36.9 (-6.9)
Disposition score 2.01 1.84(-0.17) 1.62 2.20(+0.58)
Disposition score 1=docile, 2=restless, 3=nervous

Conclusion:
- Hot shots increased disposition score without decreasing processing time.
- Breed has less effect on disposition than does management.

(Source: 2007 National Beef Cattle Evaluation Consortium’s “Brown Bagger Symposium. )

Kind of a short list on the breeds I would say.
Wheres the BEEFmasters?? ha

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I especially liked the spelling of LIMOSIN :shock:
We have a hot shot - only used it if a calving cow doesn't want to get right up. It hangs on the wall in the barn, been there for years, occasionally pick it up & push the button - amazed that it still works!

 

[randiliana]

We don't own a hot shot. And it is very rare that we ever use one. About the only time is loading cattle onto a liner. Then I don't have a problem. 1 shot will usually get them moving, and it doesn't make them crazy. But in the working chute I can see how it would cause problems.

 

[LGodlove]

We feed our cows old bread/donuts from the bakery as treats. This has really tamed them down. Whenever you need to move one, just go get a loaf of bread, just throw some in the trailer and poke them in the butt with a stick. I keep a club handy at all times, I never trust them--they are not pets.

I sure don't want no hotshot, no thanks. If there is no rehabilitating the onery ones, then they go back to the sale for use in hamburger helper recipes.

 

[MoGal]

Hot shot prod works great in breaking up a dog fight..... but I tried it on a brangus bull who refused to go through the chute and he just laid down and that was it..... there was no moving him.... usually holding their tail straight up gets em going forward, on calves especially, when in the chute.

My husband and I are pretty quiet when working the cattle, we walk amongst them in the field on a regular basis. I can call em and they come up (mostly running) and we have a rainbow herd (mix of char, angus, brangus, holstein, limo and the red polls). The vet preg checked 44 last month and in under 2 hours so I thought we did well and we never used a hot shot.

I've seen studies that listed more breeds and the red polls highly rated as far as docility. Of course you're gonna get the occasional nutcase, but I think how you handle them goes a long ways. Disposition is a definite culling factor for me.

 

[bward]

Jeanne, I would like to agree with you 100% but then why is it that I have to cull my rotten viscous man eating cows and they produce the heaviest best doing calves? Its also the quiet tame ones that are open and produce the smallest calf?

or so it seems sometimes.

 

[Avalon]

No doubt about it docile cattle do better at gainning, breeding, handling and come harvest time the meat taste much better from one who was not tense during the process.

 

[Hippie Rancher]

Jeanne, I would like to agree with you 100% but then why is it that I have to cull my rotten viscous man eating cows and they produce the heaviest best doing calves? Its also the quiet tame ones that are open and produce the smallest calf?

or so it seems sometimes.

yeah I have some like that too. :roll: :help:

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Yeah, just like it's always the growthiest best calf that ends up dieing in a freak situation :shock:

 

[LGodlove]

Guess what I saw yesterday--I couldn't believe it.

I went to a sale I normally don't get to go to and this fat boy handling the baby calves was using a hotshot on them. He was too darn lazy to move them without it. The ones lying down he would just jam the hotshot into them.

There was also a very sick holstein cow (that should have never been at the sale and needed a bullet) lying on her side (she was probably about 1500 pounds, almost dead) and he took that hotshot and jammed into her--shocking her good with it.

I thought to myself, what a big, tough man this guy is--shocking the baby calves to death when a 6-year old boy could get them to move without a hotshot.

I suppose there'd be no doubt in a buyer's mind why the calves would be scouring, stressed and dead after that sale. Needless to say, I didn't see anything there I couldn't do without.