Barn design assistance...

[machslammer]

Couldn't find anywhere else to post about barn design stuff so here goes. ..

In the picture below you will see a 14' X 60' side of the barn. The Lower Right hand of the picture is where the cows/calves come into the barn out of the field. I have a 14' gate that stretches the width of the barn to section it into two sections for seperating cows/calves. Have a 8' gate the closes the lane off so the cows can't back out once in the lane. The very top of the picture is an 10' gate and a 4' gate chained together for easy assess to this side of the barn from the front of the barn.. In front of those 2 gates is my feed wagon and a small open area with a big sliding door for entrance. Now, my question is this... Once we get the cows/calves seperated and begin working the cows.. They tend to circle in the corners, or circle around me/us and head around the 8' propped back gate to get in between the 8' gate and the 14' cut gate across the barn... Without spending umpteen dollars, in general, how can I make this either funnel down, design a sweep in it somehow, or what without creating a lot of unusable space. Current keeper calves have access to this side of the barn daily. Don't want to just set a sweep up right in the middle of the barn because the back becomes unusable and also it cuts down on how I can seperate cows/calves. I want something to assist with me/dad/helpers not getting hurt with some of the last cows down the lane and becoming in fight/flight mode as the day wears on... Please help.

 

[Craig Miller]

If you hung another gate across from the 8 footer you could cut out two corners. Maybe a 14 foot. Not straight across but diagonally where it would meet up with the 8 ft.

 

[1982vett]

may not be understanding your problem exactly...but if it's the corners that are a problem, get a couple portable gates/panels to put in them while working cattle. Remove them with finished.

 

[greybeard]

I didn't see this one--I answered in the other thread.
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=85378

Sounds like he's using the 8' gate to crowd with. He runs everything into far end of the barn (top of drawing), closes the 14' gate across the middle of the barn, then tries to crowd them into the open 8' gate, but they run around him and get behind the 8' gate and into the "dead area" between the 8' and closed 14' gates and he is having to run them down out of the corners at the ends of the 14' gate.

 

[machslammer]

I didn't see this one--I answered in the other thread.
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=85378

Sounds like he's using the 8' gate to crowd with. He runs everything into far end of the barn (top of drawing), closes the 14' gate across the middle of the barn, then tries to crowd them into the open 8' gate, but they run around him and get behind the 8' gate and into the "dead area" between the 8' and closed 14' gates and he is having to run them down out of the corners at the ends of the 14' gate.

Correct..well partially... The 8' gate is only to close off the lane with and keep them from backing out of the lane.. Yes on the circling around us and coming back towards the 14' gate and then heading into the corners... I can of course get them out of the corners with a little encouragement, but they just circle around. So, getting them to go down the lane is a tough chore at times, and I'm afraid someone is gonna get hurt without the cows meaning to. .. Need to modify the setup a little.. All the picture is inside the barn, except the lane and it's outside the barn. Thanks

 

[machslammer]

more ideas??

 

[gberry]

It's hard to make suggestions because the drawing is not really to scale and it's unclear where the problem is. It looks like the cattle are expected to enter a single width alley through the side of the barn and immediately make a left hand turn. If that's the case, they are going to balk at that every time. If I was trying to force them through that situation, I would replace the 8 foot gate with a 14 footer and hang a second 14 footer just above (in this drawing) the opening in the barn. For sorting, I would simply push these 2 gates against the wall. Once the cows were sorted, I would close the existing 14' gate you have drawn on the picture now. Then I would open the 14' gate (that replaced the 8') against this gate. I would use the new 14' gate to sort off a few head at a time to run through the chute. The 2 new 14' gates could be used to create a longer alley leading through your existing opening. I doubt this makes much sense. An actual picture of your setup or a scaled drawing would help us make better suggestions.

 

[Don McCallum]

Buy a 6' to 8' gate and attach(tie etc) to end of the existing 14' gate in the middle of the barn. You can sweep the cattle with these
2 gates. The cattle should be crowded enough now, that you can sort the cows and calves with the new 6' to 8' gate now at the upper end of
the barn. You can also sort some with the existing 8' gate. I hope that this helps.