Low-stress stockmanship
Stress-free handling of cattle
In today's world, calm and relaxed handling of livestock is essential to avoid negative headlines in connection with handling. In order to learn the method of low-stress stockmanship, a seminar on this topic was held with Philipp Wenz at the Ottendorf agricultural cooperative as part of the nationwide Fokus Tierwohl network.
In the morning, the theoretical basics were discussed and developed together. Among other things, the learning behaviour and sensory performance of the animals were discussed. There were intensive discussions on the topic of occupational safety when handling bulls. The speaker explained to the participants that it always becomes dangerous when ignorance or overconfidence come into play. Each participant had the opportunity to apply the knowledge they had learnt in the afternoon on the animals under the guidance of Mr Wenz. He accompanied the participants on the first day, and on the second day they were allowed to try it out on their own. The initial scepticism was gone after a few attempts and the participants became increasingly confident in the application. The previously expressed concerns about health and safety were also refuted when handling the animals.
There was a wide range of participants, including farmers, trainees, students, career changers and livestock dealers.
The event was very well received by the participants and will take place again in this form.
Author: Sophie Klinkhart, Thuringian State Office for Agriculture and Rural Areas