Catch Pen Help

[Ol' 243]

I'm working on fencing a new track of land, have most of it done and now I'm working on my catch pen. I have set all the post for it, gonna be 60 X 60. What is the optimum lane width leading to my squeeze chute. I'm thinking 28-30 inches, what do you use? Won't have any monster bulls, just wanna make sure a decent sized calf can't get turned around.

 

[dun]

The lead ins are 10 foot and they go down to 26 inches for the alleys

 

[JW IN VA]

The lead ins are 10 foot and they go down to 26 inches for the alleys

26-28 inches looks narrow but a 300 pound calf can turn in them.500 lb will try sometimes.Mine are about 27" and have thought about making a"liner" from plywood and 4X4s for working calves.

 

[bball]

The lead ins are 10 foot and they go down to 26 inches for the alleys

26-28 inches looks narrow but a 300 pound calf can turn in them.500 lb will try sometimes.Mine are about 27" and have thought about making a"liner" from plywood and 4X4s for working calves.

I been toying with the same idea JW. Would prefer to use molded plastic to make it lighter, but haven't found anything I liked. Something I could just hang from the existing alleyway panels for working calfs, then just lift out when done.

 

[Ol' 243]

Thanks for all the help, keep the ideas coming. I only wanna do this once.

 

[dun]

Unless this is a revision of an older design, I would put everything up as temporary as I could until I had used it a couple of times. That way you can make the required changes before it is set in stone how it has to be.

 

[M-5]

If I ever redo my alley im gonna do it in a V shape like how a squeeze chute is made. I have the practice of digging the holes at an angle. when I was a boy everytime I dug a post hole my granddad would holler at the other hand and tell him to hurry up and get a post in the hole or else a gopher would come by and take it away from me. I have since dug enough to get them straight but an angled alley would be the trick imo.