BEEF021 - Temperament and Performancex

For over a century, the word temperament has been used to define the fear-related behavioral responses of cattle when exposed to human handling. As cattle temperament worsens, their response to human contact or any other handling procedures becomes more excitable. Within the beef cattle industry, producers select cattle for temperament primarily for safety reasons. However, recent studies demonstrate that cattle temperament may also have productive and economic implications to beef operations. This article will review some of the detrimental effects that excitable temperament has on productive traits of beef cattle.