August 2018 - United Country Real Estate

BEST PRACTICES FOR    By Angela Smith

As a rancher, transporting livestock can be a stressful process even without added complications. Without proper preparation and care it can also lead to long-term effects on your animals. Unnecessary stress can lead to weight loss, carcass rejections and other disease that could lead to death or a negative impact on meat quality. To keep your animals safe, happy and healthy, there are a lot of things you can do to minimize stress and make sure you all arrive at your destination safely. Practice makes perfect. Take time prior to the transport to get your cattle accustomed to the trailer by herding them a couple of times and reward them with a small amount of feed for positive reinforcement. This way, when it comes time to do the move, they are familiar with the situation. Snack time. Include enough hay to cover the trip plus a couple added

days to be safe. To keep them at ease during the trip, make the hay accessible for the ride. Don’t forget the water. Depending on the climate of the new location, your animals need to be acclimated. Adding a little bit of a sports drink like Gatorade to their water in the days prior will help them stay extra hydrated. Separate by size. If you’re traveling with different sizes of animals, separate the large from the small to avoid possible injury to the smaller animals

during turns and bumps in the road. Adding some extra bedding in the trailer will also help alleviate slips. Dot your I’s and cross your t’s. Proper documentation varies by state so make sure you are up to date on all of the current policies and procedures for paperwork in your state. Many states require health forms to be completed within 30 days of travel and animals like sheep and goats need a form of permanent identification.

If you need some extra words of wisdom on keeping your animals safe during a transport, contact your veterinarian. You can

also find out some of the latest regulations on animals from your local SPCA.

If you’re a rancher looking for some more land for your livestock or looking to sell your ranch, contact one of our ranchland experts at United Country Real Estate. Learn more at www.UnitedCountrySPG. com/ranches.

Sources: https://www.hobbyfarms.com/7-tips-for-transporting-animals-safely/, https://www.farmersweekly.co.za/animals/cattle/tips-for-stress-free-livestock-transporting/

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