Plenty of people have heard of low stress stock handling for cattle – but what about sheep?
A common mistake is the belief it only applies to cattle handling, yet low stress handling of sheep is also growing in popularity, and sheep are potentially faster learners.
Low stress stock handling advocate and trainer, Grahame Rees, Bathurst, runs a two-day program which he says allows people to learn in a practical environment working sheep effectively, with less stress on the people and the sheep.
“I think it’s important to understand low stress stock handling has become a misunderstood term, as many people have a different idea of what it means,” Mr Rees said. “In our belief it is adhering to the four basic instincts and seven principles of low stress stock handling.”
An animal’s instincts are based around natural movement, such as to move the animals in the direction they are facing, herding animals want to follow other animals, animals need to see what is pressuring them and where they can find a release.
These work in with the seven principles, which include: respecting an animal’s flight zone, communication through body language; constant pressure; learning when to apply and release pressure; finding the leader of a mob; position determines reaction, and learning to listen to your animal.
Low stress stock handling principles allow producers to work animals in the way they would like to be worked, removing the predator-prey relationship.
“We use exactly the same methods for sheep, as we would cattle. Sheep just tend to be more sensitive to movement and pressure.”
“When we remove all that fear, it suddenly becomes easier,” Mr Rees said.
“We like to teach people skills where they can work animals in any facility, so we are able to effectively work our animals in an easy, low stress way.”
Low stress stock handling aims to decrease stress for stock and the handlers when mustering or handling to increase production, profit and ease of work.
“Placement, speed and voice are some of the key tricks used when training under the low stress stock method,” Mr Rees said.
Mr Rees said sheep were naturally more sensitive to human contact than cattle. However, because of the larger size of cattle, humans tended to be more fearful when compared to handling sheep, and therefore naturally worked cattle at a greater distance.
“If we look at cattle, people do a good job mainly because they are big, but with sheep we tend to shove and push more,” Mr Rees explained.
“I think sheep learn quicker than cattle. In essence we are training them to work better through our yards. Every time we work them they become better.”
Some people choose to work with dogs or horses in order to retrieve their stock under the same method, although Mr Rees said it remained important to learn the practical methods of human movement.
“Sheep are very intelligent, when worked correctly, they become easy to handle and work through our systems,” he said.
Roseville Park Merinos owner, Matthew Coddington, Dubbo, said a school he recently hosted on his property for his family and employees was well worth it.
“We got to do all sorts of things we haven’t been able to do without dogs,” Mr Coddington said.
He also runs cattle and said the differences in training both animals was minimal.
“We had a mob of distressed sheep from Broken Hill that had been attacked by wild dogs that we were able to settle down,” he said.
“There was not much difference between cattle and sheep, it was more about where to, and where not to apply pressure.”
Profitability is a factor behind the method, including how it can be used to manage or prevent dark cutting meat, carcase shrinkage, injuries, weaning and imprinting.
“With the cattle we find there is less shrinkage, we got less injuries, our sheep are worth a bit of money to us so that is important,” Mr Coddington said.
Mr Rees said it wasn’t about making animals quiet, but about learning to manage them through stressful conditions.
“We can’t control the environment when they go off to sale, or wherever they go to, but we can teach them to tolerate that,” Mr Rees said.