How Big is a Cattle Prod

A cattle prod is a handheld gadget that is generally used in cattle and other livestock through poking or striking them to make them move about in the ranch or go to the slaughterhouse. The other term for the gadget is a stock prod. Commercially, cattle prods give an electric shock to the cattle by releasing nearly high-voltage but low current electricity.

Terminology

Cattle prods are generally used by farmers and ranchers to refer to metal or fiberglass rods they use to motivated cattle to move. For those people that live outside the rural areas, they use the term only for those kinds that use electricity. However, the majority of farmers and ranchers called the electric variety as hotshots.

Electric Prods

A hotshot is an electric cattle prod that is usually cylindrical in shape and when activated, it will send some open electric current at its shock end. The high-voltage electric shock produced is not really that strong to slay a human being or an animal the size of a sheep or as big as a cow. However, the short period of exposure to the electricity will cause some notable pain to the recipient. The main purpose of electric prods is to give a painful electric shock to the cattle which then results to shove them off where the handler wants them to go.

Designs of Electric Prods

Electric prods have different designs available in the commercial market today. The design of their shapes is usually according to specific guidelines. These guidelines emphatically state that these gadgets should be used and handled easily by farmers and ranchers. The length of the electric cattle prods ranges from six inches to as long as six feet depending on the manufacturer design. Prods that are not within that length range are generally not practical to use in cattle because they are either unhandy or too heavy.

Regular Prods

Regular cattle prods are those prods that do not use electricity. Usually, they are a piece of stick or goad, a piece of pipe, or a piece of fiberglass rod that has a rubber handle. The tips of the regular prods are usually made of rubber or metal that have dull barbs to herd cattle that are quite stubborn. A wiffleball bat is also an efficient prod since it is a hollow plastic bat and it produces a sharp ringing sound when smacked on someone’s skin.

Since regular prods do not use electricity, they are simply useful for poking, striking, or tapping the flanks of the animals. Prods can also be used as an extension of the fence in order to discourage skittish livestock to move away from downed fences or open gates.