Between 2011 and 2013, a five category chute exit rating (1 =walk; 2 =trot; 3=bolt; 4=jump; and 5=fall) was assigned to 1643 yearling steers of mixed breeds following release from a hydraulic chute at the USDA-ARS Central Plains Experimental Range (CPER) near Nunn, CO, USA. Ratings were conducted at the beginning (mid-May) and ending (early-October) of each grazing season. Steers were grazed season-long at moderate stocking densities (6.5 ha/steer) on semiarid rangeland, with minimal handling throughout the season. Low-stress cattle handling principles were used for the design of the cattle handling facility, as well as for treatment of steers by handlers. No weight gain differences were observed between different chute exit ratings at the beginning or end of the grazing season, counter to many feedlot studies in which cattle with poor temperaments gain less weight. When comparing chute exit ratings between the beginning and ending of the grazing season, steers were over seven times more likely to be calmer than more agitated. Across all years, 66.3% of steers ended the season with a rating of 1, and only 4.6% of steers finished the grazing season above a rating of 2.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.