tendency seemed to be related to th

tendency seemed to be related to the fact that higher-ranked
animals moved around more actively, and actively moving
animals may have attracted attention and caused others to
follow.
Management Suggestions
Herding.Herding is a proven tool for controlling livestock
distribution, but herding must consider livestock social
behavior to be effective. Cattle subgroups, for example,
should be dispersed as a unit; otherwise, individuals separated
from their subgroup will return to their former location
(Skovlin, 1957, 1965; Roath and Krueger, 1982). A herder
should purposely relocate subgroups to alternative sites
rather than merely harassing animals to disperse them from a
preferred site. Mere harassment often results in cattle returning
within minutes or hours to their former site. Rather than
trying to disperse large numbers of cattle at once, it is better
to gather only one subgroup or a few subgroups at a time and
then guide them to a new site. Upon arrival at the new site,
Proceedings of the American Society of Animal Science, 1999
4
the animals should be shown the location of water, salt, and
palatable forage. The herder should then remain with the
animals in their new location until the group has settled. This
often requires 30 min to 2 h. The approach is similar to trailing
cow/calf pairs to a new pasture and then waiting there to
make certain that every cow has claimed its calf. The time
spent ensuring that subgroups establish their new "home
base" saves much time that would otherwise be spent repeatedly
harassing animals away from their former locations.
Budd (1999) suggested that when moving cattle to a new
grazing site, it is best to move them before they have watered,
and when trying to relocate cattle to new loafing areas,
it is best to move them soon after they have watered. These
strategies make cows more inclined to graze or rest when
they reach their new location, rather than immediately returning
to their former location.
Individual animals sometimes do not respond to herding,
and these individuals should be culled from a herd (Skovlin,
1957, 1965). Eliminating uncooperative individuals will help
develop a group of animals that readily responds to herding.
Diligent herding can train cattle to use certain areas of a
landscape even though they may prefer to use others.
Culling.Some authors (Roath and Krueger, 1982; Howery
et al., 1996, 1998) have extended Skovlin's concept of
selective culling to suggest that selective culling might be
used to develop a herd of upland-dwelling cattle. Their recommendations
are based on the premise that certain individuals
or subgroups within a herd prefer, or are accustomed
to, riparian habitats, whereas others prefer or are accustomed
to upland habitats. Selective culling on this basis should be