Cattle Handling System(s) ????s

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Kathie in Thorp

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From reading prior posts, I understand this has been covered before, but the site's search functions are not friendly/sometimes won't do it at all.

We are among those that put the bovine before the cart. We have an OB pen/chute; neighbor has helped with bringing over panels and a portable alley when we AI'd. Don't want to do that anymore. It's not his problem. And we need something more full-coverage, and us baby-boomers can work it ourselves.

We don't/won't keep a bull. I pat the nitrogen tank as I go by. A few cows and their little ones, plus 3-4 feeder steers annually. Will probably never have 20 on the place.

Am looking for your "this works" system plans. There are dozens posted on Univ. websites, but no "comments" available there, as to what works efficiently.

Our supplies to do this include:

1. Good Pearson squeeze chute.

2. 20 16-ft. very HD panels that came out of a feedlot -- 2 guys can't lift them. Each 5-rail, 3" pipe and sucker-rod construction, with support each end and middle that can be buried/concreted 3 ft. in-ground. These are actually 24 ft. panels, including ends that are cut-off each -- would probably take major time to re-weld them together and properly support those metal marriages. (But do have machinist/welder in the fam.)

3. 20 16-ft. equally HD gates, many sided so they are blind. Don't have a problem using them for alley/holding pens/whatever -- we won't need 20 "gates."

4. 100 very decent RR ties to put it all together

5. Would like to fit this into an already-fenced, barn-adjacent lot, approx. 60 X 125 area, as compactly as possible. It has gates on opposite ends of the long-side corners, but for ease in loading, we'll probably put in another gate to avoid super-human backing manuevers.

Will look at a good used Priefert calf table next week. Would love a sweep tub, but . . . .

Thoughts, ideas would be much appreciated, without spanking about not being better-prepared. Am looking at today and tomorrow, not yesterday! Thanks, all!
 
Sounds like you have a good bit of materials and should be able to build a nice pen ... if you saw some of the pens I use you would laugh . Google working pen blue prints .. I've seen some really neat set UPS on line . That way you can see what will work best for you ...
 
I don't know enough to know what would work best for us, JSCattle! But once this goes up, it's there to stay -- no portable stuff. So, if you had those materials, and you could re-design what you have, what would you do? ??
 
Kathie in Thorp":3ftkim9d said:
I don't know enough to know what would work best for us, JSCattle! But once this goes up, it's there to stay -- no portable stuff. So, if you had those materials, and you could re-design what you have, what would you do? ??
What I would do is set it up the way you think it will work and use T-posts to keep it standing. Use it a time or 2 and see how you cna improve it
 
i haven't built my new pens yet ... but I sat down and drew them on paper .. catch pen load out shoot working shoot . Holding pens etc.. then I thought about running cattle through them ..what dun said would be best if you can find a way to do that .
 
Kathie in Thorp":3fzckfq1 said:
Dun, the panels are 300 lbs. or so . . . my better sense tells me they aren't t-post material, even once. ?
Stand them up and drive a T-post at the ends and middle and chain them to the T-posts. A moderate weight chain and double ended dogsnaps are a real boone to laying out working pens. If the legs are too long to do it that way, set them up with the top on th eground and the legs in the air. Sure simplifys setting things up whrn you don;t have to go back through in a month and start chaning/redoing things.
 
This is roughly how ours is set up
layout.jpg


Just past the sweep there is a 4foot walkthough gate (a fence panel with a gate) that swings out so we can back the trailers up to it and load out.
 
I use my headgate on squeeze chute to work calves.Catch them in the flanks instead of the neck. I can cut the bulls etc with them standing.They cant kick.One of my grandkids holds the tails. I mark ears vaccinate etc.
 
Listen to Dun. Work your cattle in it and see if you like the set up. Make change sto what didn't suit you. Repeat the process until you find a set up that works for you. Then you can make it permanently.
 
Kathie in Thorp":1u9r4k47 said:
Dun -- dumb me . . . Can you give me your color code representations on this? And how do your gates swing with this? Excuse me if I sound ignorant, but I am. :)
Red lines are gates
The grey thing is the sweep
Big green thing is a barn/milk parlor
Little green thing is the chute and palp cage
Red block is a 60 degree drop of about 4-5 foot from the barn level to the working area
Blue is a covered patio
The long cross marked thing are steps from the barn/milk parlor to the working level
All gates swing both boths
Straight lines are just corral panels
The oval is a waterer
The side way form the barn is another 60 drop of about 4-5 foot
Think that covers it all
 

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