Feedyard Uses Animal Behavior Modifier to Encourage Sick Cattle to Eat

by Jill J. Dunkel

"Eating is the best medicine for sick cattle," according to Ron Gray, manager of Wheeler Feedyard in Wheeler, Texas. However, getting sick cattle to the bunk can be challenging. When cattle don't feel good, they don't want to eat.

But a pharmacologist from New Jersey has developed a device, which is now in use in the cattle industry, that stimulates an animal's appetite. His device is based on research initially conducted on rats that proved a mild, non-painful pressure to the tail induced the rats to eat, even if they were full. Dr. Stuart Fielding applied the concept to large animals, and developed the ABM (Animal Behavior Modifier). The ABM uses gentle pressure across an animal's tail to trigger that animal to eat.

"The concept is actually very simple," says Harry Anderson, Ph.D. "Mild pressure to the tail triggers the release of endorphins and insulin in the animal's system. The animal's eyes get brighter, and his ears come up. The endorphins help relieve any pain, and the insulin encourages the calf to eat." Anderson is with Alpha Bio Remedies, which is the sole U.S. distributor of the ABM.

"A calf that is sick quits eating and essentially starves to death. However, with a regular intake of energy and protein, his body can work naturally to fight of disease," says Anderson. "With good feed intake, the calf doesn't have to be retreated as often." This ultimately lowers medicine costs as well as mortality.

Wheeler Feedyard has had good luck with the ABM. "We're utilizing it in our sick pen," says Gray. "We leave it on an animal for two or three days until he's eating good, then we rotate it to another calf."

Gray says the ABM makes the calf go to the bunk and eat. "This shows me that it works," he says.

Research conducted by the Texas A&M University Research Center in Amarillo, Texas, showed an increase in feed intake of 8.3 percent of cattle that wore the ABM. Using the average energy values from the studies, this increased intake would result in a 12 percent increase in daily gain and a 4 percent increase in feed efficiency.

Laval Simons of Port Lavaca, Texas, has used the ABM. "I first placed the ABM on a growing bull that was not competing with the other bulls at the feedbunk. We knew he had the genetics, but he was just not an aggressive eater," he says. "In two weeks after using the ABM, he completely turned around. It turned his attitude into an aggressive eater. It almost taught him how to eat." Simons raises Charolais and Angus cattle at Wolf Point Ranch.

Simons continues to use the ABM on animals that don't go to the bunk regularly. "It gets hot down here and calves don't want to eat. The ABM gets them to eat small amounts all day long." He says some bulls that were previously timid eaters are now gaining 5 lbs/day on a grower ration.

Simons believes it ultimately aids digestibility in the rumen. "When cattle eat all day long, it aids the rumen bugs," he believes.

The ABM is placed around the calf's tail near the top of the tail. It is held in place with a girth strap.