Kieffer, J. 2016. The scratch factor – Using free, recycled street sweeping brooms as enrichment devices for cattle. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 4(1) (March), 33-36.

There is an increasing amount of consideration being paid to cattle welfare and enrichment, both at agricultural research institutions and via welfare audits on commercial operations. A crucial element of these welfare and enrichment evaluations is the ability of cattle, both beef and dairy, to express their natural behaviors. One of the key components of the natural behavior spectrum of cattle is grooming. As any feedlot manager or dairy herdsman can attest, cattle relish the ability to scratch themselves, and will take advantage of any structure within their pens or pastures to do so. Absence of devices that facilitate grooming of cattle can lead to development of stereotypic behaviors such as tongue-rolling, bar-biting, and sucking. Mechanical brushes have been in use for several years within the dairy industry but are unheard of at beef cattle facilities, mainly due to cost considerations and the extensive nature of pastures and corrals. These devices are approximately $2,500 per unit, which limits our ability to purchase a brush for each pen in our cattle facilities. This article describes how to make inexpensive brushes from street-sweeping brooms, which are a by-product of the regular maintenance cycle of the city street sweeping machines, and are free of charge. The overwhelming ease of installation, near absence of cost, and durability of the brooms make utilizing used street-sweeping brooms for cattle enrichment a no-brainer.