Objectives The overall situation of cattle value chain in a county of Changsha city was investigated and the risk factors and behaviors of disease transmission in the chain were analyzed to assist in steadily promoting the prevention and control of animal diseases. Methods A survey was conducted on 128 farms (households), 19 transport brokers, 2 trading markets, 21 trading vendors, 8 slaughter vendors, and 1 harmless treatment center in 12 townships (streets) of a county in Changsha city with questionnaire surveys, on-site visits, and discussions. Results The scale of farming cattle in the entire county was low, and the cattle was mainly bred and raised by the farms/households themselves. The transportation process came from a wide range of sources, with live cattle from the regions at high risk of brucellosis entering the process of farming. The behavior of transport brokers was complex, reflected in the diversity of supply channels and the concurrent operation of other related businesses. The centralized slaughter rate was low, and the protective awareness of slaughter personnel was poor. There were varying degrees of animal disease risks in each link of the cattle value chain. Conclusions It is recommended to further enhance the protective awareness of practitioners, improve the level of bio-safety protection in farms (households), increase quarantine supervision, strengthen monitoring and investigation, and continuously improve the level of comprehensive prevention and control.