Up on the Catwalk at a Livestock Auction

The catwalk at the livestock auction is a great place to get an education about all types of cattle. When cattle are dropped off at a livestock auction, they are placed pens to wait their turn to go through the sales ring. Most livestock auctions have catwalks high above the pens where you can wander at your leisure and check out the different animals that will be sold during the auction.

Use the Catwalk at the Auction to Narrow Down Your Choices:

You should know what type of cow you are looking for before you attend your first auction. When you are on the catwalk, use your bird's eye view of the cows to find the type of livestock you intend to bid on. To check if you are looking at a steer, a bull or a heifer, check the belly area. Steers and bulls will have several long hairs near their naval. These hairs will appear to be wet, and probably are, due to urination. The naval on a heifer will not have the wet-looking hair. A quick glance at the scrotum will allow you to determine if it is a bull or a steer. The testicular sack will be hanging where a cow's udders hang if it is a bull. Steers are castrated bulls that have had their testicals and the sack removed.

Use the Catwalk at the Auction to Judge The Livestock:

Another thing to watch for when you are on the catwalk is how the cow moves. You want to watch her feet and make sure there are no abnormal growths on the hooves. As the cow moves, she should be able to walk as if she has no pain. You also want to see if her legs give a strange twist or if she has a prominent limp which could mean hip problems.

Use the Catwalk to Determine Overall Health at the Auction:

Look for abnormal growths anywhere on the cow. Young livestock that are about a year old are prone to warts about the face and neck. These growths are caused by a virus but will clear up with the proper diet. You want to avoid any animal with large lumps under the skin on the jaw line as these are usually filled with infection and will need a lot of intensive care to clear up. The eyes of cows are another thing to do a visual inspection of from the catwalk. Some breeds of cows are more prone to cancer eyes. Cattle with white faces and no colored hair around the eye is more likely to develop pink eye or the more dangerous cancer eye than any other type of animal. The eyes should be clear with no discharge. If you do see a discharge, be wary of that particular animal as it may be in the beginning stages of developing cancer eye.

Use the Catwalk to Determine the Animal's Attitude at the Auction:

Another thing you want to look at when you are on the catwalk is the animal's attitude. If a horse and rider move past the pen is the animal alert and skittish? Does she lower her head like she is going to defend her pen? Does she just continue chewing her cud, no matter what is happening outside her pen? You also want to watch for clues to the cow's attitude when she enters the auction ring. If she tries to charge the auction workers, she will be very aggressive when you get her home. You will probably want to pass on that. Instead, try a calm animal that makes her way into the ring and then waits for the next gate to open so that she can exit as calmly as she entered. A little bit of spirit is fine. Younger cows are often scared about entering the ring, and though they may try to find a way to escape, as you watch, you will soon figure out which ones are just nervous because of the sale and which are just out-right scared to death. Stay away from those who are in full out panic mode. Many will remain that way for years to come and that makes them hard to handle when you get them home.

When you are selecting animals to bid on at the livestock option, there are a number of things you want to look at to choose a healthy animal that will suit the purpose you have in mind. Whether you are choosing a beef for the freezer or a breeder for your herd, you want to select the best animal possible. Keep in mind that most of the livestock at the auction are being culled. Some of the cows have health issues. Other livestock are there because they do not fit into the original owner's plan or may even have been culled so that the owner can purchase feed for his remaining livestock. Whatever the reason, the livestock is there for a reason and you will need to know what you are planning to do with the animal before you bid on it.