Part of "Take it Easy" Article in beef Magazine Jan. 2009 Here are some simple ways to improve cattle handling. By Temple Grandin Eliminate visual distractions, Cattle Don't like dark buildings, Non-slip flooring- Animals panic if they start to slip. Non-slip flooring is essential for low-stress cattle handling because calm animals are easier to handle. When animals get agitated, it takes 20 to 30 min. for their heart rate to return to normal. If a squeeze chute or a single-file, lead-up chute has a slick floor, cattle often become agitated when their feet make repeated small slips. Slipping is often the greatest problem in small confined areas such as scales, lead-up chutes and crowd pens. Existing worn-out concrete floors can be made non-slip by installing woven tire tread mats or a grid made from steel bars. If steel bars are used, they must be cut and weldede so the grid lays completely flat on the floor. Don't crisscross the bars on top of each other. Cattle are lickly to damage their hooves due to catching them in the gap. Use cattle following behavior, and use Measure cattle handling. Temple Grandin is an associate professor of livestock handling and behavior at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Visit her website at www.grandin.com