Hail Bruising of Fed Cattle

On May 25, 1999, a storm producing hail approximately 1 ¾ to 3¾ inches in diameter crossed over a feed yard. On four occasions following the storm, 409 carcasses from six pens were observed at an abattoir. On day 1, 29 carcasses were examined at the abattoir and in the grading cooler. On days 10, 15, and 49, additional cattle (n = 117, 173, and 90, respectively) were examined at the abattoir only. On day 16 following the first storm, a second storm, producing approximately 1 ¾-inch-diameter hail, crossed over the feed yard. Bruises were classified into three size categories, into short- and long-duration categories, and location was recorded. One hundred, 85, 54, and 44% of the carcasses exhibited bruises on days 1, 10, 15, and 49, respectively. On days 1, 10, 15, and 49, 100, 98, 65, and 27% of bruises were classified as short-duration. Multiple bruises were observed on 100, 75, 42, and 16% of carcasses on days 1, 10, 15, and 49, respectively. Storms producing hail approximately 3¾ inches in diameter have the potential to cause extensive bruising in cattle in open feed yards. Cattle sold within 15 days of such storms may experience significant hail-associated carcass trim loss, but by day 49 bruising appears to return to baseline levels.