PECKING ORDER? Where Are You in the

In the social world of cattle or horses, there is always a leader — a boss bull or cow or lead mare. The social hierarchy is dynamic, everyone is ranked, and the process is continual. Rank isn’t simply given; it is earned. Top rank gives physical dominance or control of time and space to feed, water, shade and mating in multi-sire bull batteries or stallions. The hierarchy benefits the herd in many ways, which we won’t go into here. What we are going to discuss today is the importance of acknowledging this social reality and understanding how we, as livestock handlers fit into this social fabric.

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