Moving 'Em: A Guide to Low Stress Animal Handling
Author: Burt Smith
Category: Livestock Handling
Why I recommend this book
I had so much fun reading Moving 'Em and experimenting with the tips found within its pages. I grew up on a cattle ranch and have been around cattle all my life, but this book completely changed my understanding of how cattle think and how I interact with cattle. It turned every trip to the pasture or corral into a game because I could see positive changes within minutes of trying each new technique for the very first time. I couldn't wait to read a new chapter each night so I could take what I had learned with me to work the next day.
A small sampling of some of the things that this book taught me are:
- How to train cattle to follow a "follow-me" cue,
- How to steer a cattle herd from the back of the herd during cattle drives,
- How to work flight zones to my advantage,
- How to trouble-shoot corrals and cattle handling facilities - from corral layout, to the location of shadows, the noises and smells they encounter in the chute, and where to stand to prevent balking in the loading alleys.
- How to design gates and alleys for smooth flow,
- How to lure cattle through badly-designed gates and alleys,
- How to modify my own behavior to keep cattle calm and cooperative in the corral during cattle processing days;
- How to effortlessly move even large cattle herds on my own without additional people,
Moving 'Em is the perfect combination of cattle psychology and practical hands-on how-to advice. It's equally appropriate whether you own 10 cattle or 10,000, whether you have a pasture rotation or manage a feedlot, and whether you are in the cow-calf business or fattening cattle for slaughter. Your cattle will teach you so much as you read this book!
Availability
(Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made using Amazon links in my post.)
This book is currently out of print, so finding a copy takes a bit of extra work. New and used copies do periodically crop up on Amazon#CommissionsEarned in a range of prices (original list price of $29.95).
It is also available to borrow through many of the public library systems in North America.
Reviews:
From the Back Cover: "Burt Smith's book is the advanced course in cattle handling. You will be rewarded if you take the time to learn the finer points of herding. It will make cattle handling more enjoyable and raising cattle more profitable. I recommend this book to anybody who is interesting in handling cattle or animal behavior." - T. Grandin
Have you read Moving 'Em: A Guide to Low Stress Animal Handling? Share your review in the Comments section below!
And if you'd like to recommend another book about cattle ranching that's not listed among my recommended books, tell me about it via my contact form.
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