Meat&Poultry -- June 2014 - 80

From the Corral
BY DR. TEMPLE GRANDIN
meatpoultry@sosland.com

Animal mobility mistakes
T

he US Dept. of Agriculture is becoming
stricter on its enforcing standards on

structurally sound feet and legs.
Many lame cattle that do not have a

both stunning and handling. The way the

disease, such as foot rot or "hairy heel

regulations are written, stunning has to

warts", have poor leg conformation.

be perfect, but problems with handling

Animals with poor conformation have

are subject to the inspector's judgment.

either feet or legs that are too straight, "post

Absolutely perfect stunning is impossible.

legged" or collapsed ankles. Recently, I

Warranting more immediate attention are

handled some Angus cattle that had rear

the handling and mobility issues that
must be corrected at the farm.
Both USDA enforcement and
undercover videos have shown
problems with handling day-old

legs that were so straight they walked stiffly.
I also looked at a bull-sale catalog from a
major Angus breeder and some of the bulls
had really poor physical structure.
The beef industry needs to be careful not

"bob" Holstein dairy calves. These

to repeat the pork industry's mistakes when

young Holsteins are often sold at

they selected only for loin size, thin back fat

such a young age that they do not walk
easily. Attempting to design equipment
to handle an animal that has difficulty

and rapid gain. Leg conformation became
terrible and up to 50 percent of the marketweight pigs were lame. Some breeding

walking is not going to solve the problem.

The beef
industry
needs to
be careful
not to
repeat
the pork
industry's
mistakes.

companies have reinstated visual appraisal

The only way to fix this is for dairies to keep

of feet and leg conformation.

the calves until they are old enough to walk

Genomic testing is being used in Angus

and stand easily. The dairy cow has been so

cattle to select for desired traits and it makes

genetically selected for milk production that

it possible to double the rate of genomic

Holstein calves are much weaker than beef-

change. It is a power tool for breeders.

breed calves.

Power tools are good things, but they can be
a source of trouble more so than hand tools.

Lameness in beef

Reports from the packing industry indicate

During hot weather, some people have

that approximately 10 percent of beef breed

observed that Zilpaterol has increased

cattle that have never been fed beta-agonists

the percentage of stiff, sore-footed, lame

have mild lameness and approximately

feedlot cattle. Beta-agonists can definitely

1 percent are severely lame. Heavier

be blamed for a major portion of lame beef

weights may also increase the problem.

cattle at packing plants, but lameness is also

In hot weather, Zilpaterol will double the

increasing in cattle that have never been fed

percentage of lame cattle. Breeders must

beta-agonists. This problem is likely caused

evaluate beef cattle breeding stock for

by genetically selecting breeding cattle by

structural leg soundness. It is essential that

looking only at the production "numbers"

breeders do not allow poor leg and foot

and abandoning visual appraisal. When

structure to become a new "bad becoming

animals are selected strictly on traits such

normal" situation. ■

as marbling, weight gain or calving ease,
breeders often forget to look at the feet and
legs to determine if the breeding stock have

80
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Meat&Poultry *

June 2014 *

www.MeatPoultry.com

Dr. Temple Grandin operates Grandin Livestock Systems
Inc., Fort Collins, Colo., and is a faculty member in the
animal science department at Colorado State Univ.
http://www.MeatPoultry.com
Meat&Poultry -- June 2014

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