Essay On Animal Handling

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the grading and dressing percentage is taken. A cut is made between the 12th and 13th ribs to expose the loin-eye area. This process is known as ribbing. The carcass is graded on the quality of beef that is observed. Then the aging time varies. A beef carcass may age for two to five weeks at temperatures of 34°F to 38°F (1°C to 3°C). Then the carcass is divided into cuts. Wholesale and retail cuts are broken down according to meat demands. All cuts are packaged and labeled according to USDA standards. After that, fresh meat is shipped (no processing has taken place). Lamb harvesting will follow a similar pattern as the beef carcass, but with one difference that is during the skinning step, the foreleg is reviewed for lamb or mutton classification. Basic Handling Principles The first principle of animal handling is to avoid getting the animal excited. It takes up to 30 minutes for an animal to calm down and have its heart rate return to normal after it has been handled roughly (Stermer et al., 1981). Calm animals move more easily and they are less likely to bunch together and be difficult to remove from a pen (Grandin, 1998e). Handlers should move with slow deliberate…show more content…
Handlers should work on the edge of the animal's flight zone. Flight zone size depends upon the wildness or tameness of the animal. A completely tame animal has no flight zone and may be difficult to drive. To make an animal move forward the handler must be behind the point of balance at the shoulder. To back it up he/she stands in front of the point of balance. Cattle or sheep will move forward in a race when a handler walks quickly past the animal in the opposite direction of desired movement. The handler must move quickly past the point of balance at the shoulder to induce the animal to move forward. The animal will not move forward until the handler passes the shoulder and reaches the

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