Are there special chutes for cattle like Highlanders?

[canoetrpr]

While I am thinking of going with Galloways, if there is a special chute to be acquired to handle cattle with long horns, it might be worth looking into for me now as I fancy Highland cattle as well.

How are long horned cattle handled through squeeze chutes and other handling equipment? What sort of special equipment might be required for a long horned breed vs. a polled one?

 

[3waycross]

Yep it's called a Medina. Here's a link to a website with a lot of info and pictures. Good luck


http://grangercattleco.com/medinahinge.html

 

[redcowsrule33]

The Medina is fine for shots but not a whole lot else (calving/palpating/castrating etc) try http://www.texaslonghorn.com/inventory/ ... wder_river

 

[3waycross]

The Medina is fine for shots but not a whole lot else (calving/palpating/castrating etc) try http://www.texaslonghorn.com/inventory/ ... wder_river

and for ONLY $5,000 more.

 

[gallowaygirl]

Personally, having done a lot of research between Galloways and Highlanders (more than I thought was possible), and having knowledge of Highlands and those who own them, I have never seen any advantage to owning Highlands over Galloways. Finding true quality Highlands (that actually look like BEEF animals-most have very weak hindquarters and forequarters) in the United States is difficult, whereas finding Galloways is much easier.

However, the only way I would ever raise Highlands would be if I dehorned all of them, which is what most of the people I know, who raise them locally, do. Dehorning makes them safer to work with, easier to handle (i.e: don't require special equipment), and you don't lose any of the characteristics-except the horns and "aesthetic appeal".

 

[canoetrpr]

That looks like a great chute but unfortunately it is too much more than what I can spend on a basic CattleMaster one (~$1600 in Canada).

gallowaygirl - I appreciate the post. The thing that Highlanders have going for me is I love the way they look. I love the look of the great big horns. They just look like regal animals. I like the look of the Galloways as well but like the look of the Highlanders more.

That said, practically I've concluded that Galloways have more going for them for me - even in a hobby setup - where I am unlikely to have more than 8-10 head + calves. The lack of horns helps reduce a bit of handling risk (that said, the Highlanders I have met have been VERY VERY docile). It seems like handling equipment is A LOT cheaper (although I don't know prices of chutes other than the basick CattleMaster one).

The other thing that Galloways seem to have going for them for me is that it seems to me that Highlanders need more time to finish steers (~30 months) vs 20 or so months for Galloways. With a small property like mine (12-14 acres in pasture), the extra time on pasture for beef animals that I intended to sell direct is costly because it reduces the total number of heifers / cows that I can support.

For all these reasons, I too have decided to go with Galloways over Highlanders. The more cost effective my hobby operation is, the more likely it will be to pay for itself in a few years.