05/11/06 Cow`s ears

Cow's Ears Just who are we suppose to believe? De we believe old cowboy movies or a university animal behavior researcher. I'm Jeff Keane. I'll be right back to discuss that question. Jon M. Watts, an animal behavior research associate at the University of Saskatchewan's Western College of Veterinary Medicine has conducted experiments that "seem to imply the sound of the human voice is inherently upsetting to beef cattle." Does that mean all that singing to the cattle in the old western movies was for nothing? Or worse yet, maybe it wasn't the lightning and thunder that started all those stampedes but the cowboy singing  say it ain't so! I never realized cattle had such a wide range of hearing compared to humans. Humans with normal hearing can hear sounds from 20 to 20,000 Hertz while cattle hear sounds between 16 and 40,000 Hertz. Most cattle handling information will focus on flow and cattle flight and sight zones but maybe a problem in a set of corrals or work facilities might be a gate hinge with such a high pitched squeak we can't hear it, but makes cattle not want to go through or by the gate. Now that's not a problem at our place since all the hinges are broken and plastic hay string makes a real smooth, gliding quiet hinge. But for you that have good strong hinges a drop or two of oil or penetrating fluid might just alleviate a problem you didn't even know you had. Tomorrow I'll tell you just how Dr. Watts' experiments were set up and some of his conclusions. I'm Jeff Keane. Beef April 2006