This site has been designed to explain the basic skills involved in the humane handling and restraint of the animals of Australia's five largest livestock industries:

-Cattle

-Sheep

-Poultry

-Pigs

-Aquaculture

But First: THE BASICS-

Improper handling causes stress to both the animal and you, the handler.

Generally speaking, less is more. The less you have to restrain the animal the lower you will keep its stress levels, and a calm animal is a productive animal. So be efficient and confident, if you practise a no nonsense attitude they will respond in a similar manner. The minute you show you are unsure or that you are not taking it seriously they will lose concentration and it will be a lot harder for you to gain their confidence again.

Never take your frustration or anger out on the animal- research has shown that production animals respond best to encouragement so a pat to reward good behaviour will accomplish a lot more than a beating with a stick to get the animal to move faster.

Give the task at hand your full attention, animals are not robots, their mood can change in seconds so be observant and if the animal appears to be stressed then take a break and try again when it has calmed down. The animals that we are working with are for the most part heavier and stronger than you are and are capable of inflicting serious injury.

What you should be aiming for:
-always approach the task with a positive attitude to the animal and confidence in your ability.
-always allow ample time for you to complete the task at hand, consider that working with animals will not always go to plan so if you don't allow enough time you will become stressed and impatient and the process will likely end up taking even longer.
-never attempt to work with an animal unless you have thorough knowledge of their natural behaviours so that you will be able to quickly recognise signs of stress and/or discomfort in the animal and  adjust your plan of action accordingly.

Video source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVYeDHgUv7Q