How do you load cattle?

[BH]

I know how to load cattle, I was just wondering which method everyone else prefers. I use the whole back door, and back my trailer up at a right angle to my alley and use a crowding gate to pop em up into the trailer. I haven't used the small sliding gate much, the first trailer I used had the gate welded shut for some reason, so I built my facilities accordingly.

have a good one,
Brett

 

[backhoeboogie]

I've got an antique trailer that cost $150. It only has a full swing door. The tires on that trailer were around $500 or better.

Anyway, the trailer does the trick. I have actually had someone boroow that thing too.

 

[TheBullLady]

I've got the pens set up so that I can use the whole door as a "crowding gate" to get the cattle into the trailer. The only time I've used the sliding gate only is at some sales, where they load out of a chute.

 

[cfpinz]

Whole back gate most places, works better for me. One farm I rent has a set-up where you have to use the slider, doesn't work as well, but the way the barn is built is not ideal either.

cfpinz

 

[randiliana]

We use the whole back door most of the time. Rarely have too much trouble loading, although we can crowd them up a bit, and then use the door to crowd them on. We just back up to the sorting alley and run them on. Our cows are very used to being loaded. Twice a year the go onto a cattleliner. Once in spring to go to pasture and again if fall to bring them home.

 

[ENNOT]

We don't have a slider on our door. Not much use for one either.

 

[Limomike]

I for one DO use the slider.. just run them up the chute..and into the trailor, then slide the door shut.

 

[Herefordcross]

The small back door on our place. the whole rear door on a lot of other places that I haul for.

 

[sidney411]

Our trailer doesn't have a sliding door, there are 2 gates that can swing in or out. we only use one gate when we back up to the chute. I thought it was only those expensive aluminum trailers that had those sliding gates :lol:

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

We use the slider for a people door. Might be big enough for calves - but cows would be hitting sides

 

[*Cowgirl*]

When we carry show heifers we use the whole back, but when we haul feeder calves we use the sliding door and the ramp

 

[HOSS]

I pull into the field, open the door and put a little grain in front. They load themselves usually. Even the bulls. Sometimes I feel like I am doing it backward. I put the cattle that I do not want to load into the corral and leave the ones I want loaded in the pasture :lol:

I have a bull that follows the trailer around wanting to load. His experience with trailers is that they always take him to the ladies. He will pester you to death trying to get in before the doors get opened.

 

[Victoria]

We have someone do our hauling for us for shipping days. He opens the whole back door. Our trailer is smaller and we use it just to move the weaned heifers to another pasture on the ranch. We have found that if they are loaded in the trailer and driven down instead of walked there's less chance of them going back. Then we just use the sliding door.

 

[dun]

I pull into the field, open the door and put a little grain in front. They load themselves usually. Even the bulls. Sometimes I feel like I am doing it backward. I put the cattle that I do not want to load into the corral and leave the ones I want loaded in the pasture :lol:

I have a bull that follows the trailer around wanting to load. His experience with trailers is that they always take him to the ladies. He will pester you to death trying to get in before the doors get opened.

That's about how the vets cows loaded. He had one that had only been in trailer twice. Once when he bout her and once when he brought her over. His trailer isn;t big enough for all of them at once ut they did their darndest at trying to all get in at once. He opend the back and walked over to where I was to try and figure out how to get the one cow in first and she walked up and stepped in and all the others followed her. Had to leave a couple behind and They almost followed him home. If I hadn;t been quick with the pasture gate they probably would have, or at least tried to.

dun

 

[6M Ranch]

At our place, small sliding door. Either one depending on circumstances.

 

[Joy in Texas]

it depends on what we are loading..If it's the heifers that I have raised they go in a pen without a shoot. I opened the gate and in they go. Now this does not make hubby happy. He thinks you have to do all of the BS loading. If we are loading his cows we use the slide gate.

 

[bigbull338]

well since its a gooseneck we open both gates back into the trailer an load cattle that way.an shut the cener gates as needed.