Making trustworthy "caregivers" out of pen riders can have a positive impact on cattle health and performance. Sick-cattle management begins in the home pen - not in the hospital pen. And it's in the home pen where pen riders can create trust in cattle, resulting in the ability to identify sick cattle early in the course of a disease. Cattle that trust their handlers are less likely to conceal illness compared to cattle feeling threatened by their handlers. It all begins with the non-verbal communication between pen riders and the animals they're charged with caring for - and increasing caretakers' power of observation. And while this concept of being psychiatrist as well as physician may expand the role of the pen rider, it can make feedyard life easier for everyone.
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