040121 Cattle Temperament Tested to Improve Quality

Albany, GA - A livestock specialist at the University of Georgia has developed a scoring system that allows owners to assess the temperaments of cattle so they can breed calmer calves.

Studies conducted in Australia, Colorado and elsewhere have shown that serene cattle gain weight faster and provide more tender meat than cranky cattle.

Also, calves with poor dispositions can cause costly damage to equipment, fences and harm handlers, said Jerry Baker, a researcher at the university's Coastal Plain Experiment Station.

Baker's system uses electric eyes and an electronic clock to measure the time it takes for each animal to travel 6 feet after they leave a chute - restraining devices that hold animals by the neck while they are weighed or examined by a veterinarian. The slower the exit, the calmer the cattle.

"We'll have calves that meander on out, maybe in three seconds," he said. "Other calves are highly excited. They want to get away from the handler and the restraining device. You're looking at a fraction of a second to cross 6 feet."

Baker believes his "exit velocity" test is more precise than other methods in measuring the cattle temperament. A system developed in Colorado, for example, requires handlers to assign a value from 1 to 5 based on behaviors ranging from completely calm to combative.

"Some subtle differences are not taken into account in the 1-to-5 system," Baker said.

When meat from the cattle used in the Georgia tests was checked, the most tender cuts came from cattle with calm dispositions, he said.

Most of Georgia's cattle are shipped to Western feedlots and they eventually wind up as steaks or hamburgers in homes and restaurants.

Chuck Sword, who has a cattle ranch in Williamson, said he's read about similar research in Texas and Australia and some cattle breeding associations are taking a "serious look" at temperament scoring systems.

"With the research behind it, I think it's definitely something we need to look at," he said. "The bottom line is the final product for the consumer."

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