Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University, Dr. Grandin designs handling and restrainer facilities for beef, pork, and sheep slaughter plants.

In this one hour video lecture, Animal Handling in Meat Plants, Dr. Grandin discusses:

• How to identify and remove distractions that impede animal movement through the chutes, races, and holding pens.

• Basic behavioral principles of moving cattle, sheep, and pigs.

• Design of chutes, races, stockyards, and pens.

• Proper stunning methods such as captive bolt and electric stunning of cattle, pigs, and sheep.

• Objective scoring methods for evaluating humane slaughter and animal welfare in slaughter plants.

• Effects of handling on meat quality and the prevention of pale soft exudative pork and dark cutters in beef.

• Vocalizations correlate with stress in cattle and pigs

This DVD contains all of the cattle information in the VHS video plus additional updated material. The DVD and CD set contain 6 different programs and almost 2 hours of programming. The CD contains Dr. Grandin's best photos and diagrams of cattle behavior, curved chutes and races, stockyards, stunners, driving aids, and restrainers. Many of the photos are higher resolution copies of the photos on this website. In the 6 programs on the DVD, Dr. Grandin explains, in easy to understand language, behavioral principles of cattle handling, equipment design, stunning methods, animal welfare auditing, and religious slaughter. This DVD can be used for training employees at slaughter plants and it would also be ideal for meat science classes. Extensive new material has been added to show the latest equipment. This DVD will play on most equipment in Europe and other countries.

Detailed description of the 6 programs on the DVD:

1. Animal Handling in Meat Plants (2nd ed.) - Covers cattle behavior, flight zone, point of balance, eliminating distractions that cause cattle to refuse to move, handling facility designs, chute design, restrainer design, the use of welfare friendly driving aids, and preventing bruises and dark cutters.

2. Stunning of Cattle (New Program) - Covers how captive bolt stunning works, how to stun cattle properly, and how to determine that the animal remains insensible. Electrical stunning of cattle is also discussed.

3. Animal Stunning (Spanish) - Covers captive bolt and electrical stunning of cattle, pigs, and sheep. For a Spanish video on animal behavior and handling, Click Here.

4. Religious Slaughter of Cattle (New Program) - Covers Kosher and Halal slaughter and contains video footage of Kosher slaughter of cattle in a modern upright restraint system. Animal welfare and religious slaughter is also covered.

5. Implementing Animal Welfare Auditing Programs - Covers the importance of using objective scoring and explains the American Meat Institute objective scoring system for evaluating animal welfare in meat plants. It also discusses how handling can be scored on feedlots and ranches.

6. Image Gallery Slide Show - Shows pictures and video clips of best practices for handling cattle and stunning.

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