Animal Handling

Safely handling livestock protects both the animal and the farmer. Discover Penn State Extension’s educational resources on animal handling and farm safety. Explore information on large animal rescue training and rescuing animals in barn fires. Tips on reducing the risk of E.coli, ensuring farm biosecurity, and managing livestock mortality are available.

Animal Handling Best Practices

Farm animals can be unpredictable, so prioritizing safety when handling livestock is essential. The majority of livestock handling accidents are caused by startled animals.

If raising cattle, always make sure they have enough room to move and know you are approaching. Animal safety practices to consider during general maintenance or health care include using headrails, working chutes, and other facilities that can effectively restrain animals.

The proper approach to cows and other large animals is key to working with them safely. Larger farm animals have a blind spot and entering the area can lead to a serious injury. To prevent accidents, treat livestock with caution, avoid blind spots, and announce your presence when approaching the animal.

Large Animal Rescue Training

Handling emergencies that involve farm animals can be challenging. Livestock can be affected by numerous situations, including floods, fires, disease, and highway incidents. As animals can react unpredictably and even aggressively to stressful situations, specialized training is required in order to ensure animal safety and the safety of those trying to help or contain them.

The Large Animal Rescue Training program, or LART, is specially designed for County Animal Response Team members and emergency services first responders. The course provides both classroom education and hands-on exercises on topics such as emergency incidents involving farm animals, animal behavior, zoonotic diseases, farm biosecurity, and animal first aid.

Animal Safety

Regardless of the types of animals raised on the farm, the safety practices you put in place can significantly affect the farm’s success.

The first step to farm animal safety is protecting yourself and the farm’s employees. Whenever handling animals, personal protective equipment should be worn. This could include steel-toed boots, safety glasses, and a hard hat. If working with sick animals, rubber gloves should be worn, as well. Remember that a number of diseases can be transferred to humans through contact with skin, saliva, hair, and wool. Additional precautions include practicing good hygiene, learning the symptoms of animal diseases, and vaccinating all animals.

While farm animals are creatures of habit, remember that under certain circumstances animals can act out of character. In this section, find useful information on the Animals in Barn Fires training. The module covers important farm animal safety topics, including animal behavior, typical injuries sustained in a barn fire, and barn fire logistics.

Penn State Extension further offers advice and recommendations on implementing building and management practices to minimize or prevent fire damage to horse stables. Resources on properly managing livestock mortalities on the farm are available, as well.