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An
important concept of livestock handling is flight zone. The
flight zone is the animal’s personal space. When a person
enters the flight zone, the animals move away.
Understanding of the flight zone can reduce stress and help
prevent accidents to handlers. The size of the flight zone
varies depending on how accustomed the cattle are to
people.
The edge of the flight zone can be determined by slowly
walking up to the animals. If the handler penetrates the
flight zone too deeply, the animal will either bolt and run
away or turn back and run past the person. The best place
for the person to work is on the edge of the flight zone.
The animals will stop moving when the handler retreats from
the flight zone. To cause the animal to back up, the
handler should stand in front of the point of balance. This
is the spot in front of the animal that will cause it to
move backwards. Cattle sometimes rear up and become agitated
while waiting in a single file chute. A common cause of
this problem is a person leaning over the chute.
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