Cattle Pen's

[Caustic Burno]

Design's have been discussed here is one I ended up with after year's . First couple were wood got tired or the repair's.
Built this one about 15 year's ago. Built it for a totally one man operation.
It was designed for 40 head.

 

[bigbull338]

CB your pens look real good.

 

[chippie]

first class. I wish that we had pens like yours.

 

[TN Cattle Man]

Nice looking set-up CB! We still use the wooden corral panels here... works out fairly well considering we harvest all of our own cedar post. I did notice while driving through Texas that you see a lot of pipe fencing and corrals. I'm guessing that a lot of pipe is available due to all the oil rig surplus and such? I can see where you can make some stout structures with that stuff!

 

[J&D Cattle]

CB, am I seeing things or does your headgate swing open to clear the alley completely? I've never seen a headgate on hinges. It's not 5:00 here so I'm sober I assure you.

 

[Caustic Burno]

CB, am I seeing things or does your headgate swing open to clear the alley completely? I've never seen a headgate on hinges. It's not 5:00 here so I'm sober I assure you.

You are seeing correct that is the way I mounted it.

TnCM that was new drill stem that failed pressure test I bought it for a dollar a foot.

 

[LauraleesFarm]

How tall are the sides? Do your brimmers ever challenge it and go over?

 

[Caustic Burno]

How tall are the sides? Do your brimmers ever challenge it and go over?

It is 5'10" none have ever cleared it yet. It has been tested in everyway you can imagine.
That pipe is concreted in deep and welded together.

 

[cow pollinater]

That's a good looking setup.
It won't hold a rank cow for more than a few minutes but if yours are not rank then it's a fantastic setup.
I don't like the hog paneling in the run up to the headgate. If you ever have one kick and get their leg stuck through it you won't like it either.
Most of my cows would go over or through the gates and the chains that come on those gates won't hold a cow.
I also don't like that every fence is see-through. It's really hard to get cattle to go through a gate when they can't see where the opening is. wood works well there because they can see the shadow and the opening is pure light.
I'm nitpicking and it's a great setup but some cattle will have problems with it.

 

[Caustic Burno]

That's a good looking setup.
It won't hold a rank cow for more than a few minutes but if yours are not rank then it's a fantastic setup.
I don't like the hog paneling in the run up to the headgate. If you ever have one kick and get their leg stuck through it you won't like it either.
Most of my cows would go over or through the gates and the chains that come on those gates won't hold a cow.
I also don't like that every fence is see-through. It's really hard to get cattle to go through a gate when they can't see where the opening is. wood works well there because they can see the shadow and the opening is pure light.
I'm nitpicking and it's a great setup but some cattle will have problems with it.

Well I have had some mighty rank gal's in it that have hit ever side and bounced off. That panel is welded up and down top and bottom of that drill stem, it is stout as the whole pen is a system welded to itself. All the gates that have real stress put on them are super heavy duty or have sheet steel welded over it. The cutting gates are cheap and easily replaced with better they have never been an issue as I am alway's giving the cow someplace to move away from the pressure. The pen actually worked better when I had enough cow's to fill it. To big for what the resident girl's. Work's better when i pen in the fall to sell the oportunity gal's and calves.
I have had some try to jump it none have been successful so far there is alway's a first for everything. The reason I built it 15 year's ago got tired of the Tiger's tearing up the wood pen's. Had tigers go over the wood pen's the same height get on top of the wood and break a board, haven't had one break that drill stem yet. Actually opening the pen's up calmed the tiger's down versus the old style corral. I thought about putting drill stem cross members in between when I first built it, after the girl's tested it decided didn't need it. I was running some really rough stuff when I was younger. I used not walk in the pen without a 45 ACP and I liked em rank. There has some been some rank salebarn girl's through the year's and that is where they stay until they calm down, if they don't they spend the week in there for a return trip to the barn.
There is not a cow alive that can break the hinges, chain's or latches welded through that drill stem.
Never had a problem with them in the chute but is 28" wide and tight wish I had made it 26" to pull hair off when they come down it. I have worried some over that myself, I have steel purlin's stacked up to rework that for year's . Did have one flip over and get upsidedown in the chute now that was fun.
Here are the chain hook's welded to the drill stem the gates have case hardened logging chain welded to them.
http://www.northerntool.com/images/prod ... 758_lg.jpg

It is not perfect by any mean's never seen one that is.
Best I ever saw was built out of drill stem and hiway guard rail.

 

[LauraleesFarm]

I like it, CB. It has a similar flow pattern to our best working pen. Main difference is the height of my pen is ummmmm super tall. Which as it turns out works really well for us. But the pen was originally too large so we cut a diagonal across it and created a calf trap, which I really like. My alley is wider than I'd like also. Sometime when I get time I will take pictures of that pen and post.

 

[houstoncutter]

Looks good , but that pasture looks even better!

 

[Brute 23]

I like that head gate on the hinge... gonna have to steal that deal.

My dad did some pens for me that use chains also. He welded a plate to the pipe and knotched the L in in for the chain to hook. Weld the chain to the post it closes against. I moaned and groaned about it initially but have not had one issue yet.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I like that head gate on the hinge... gonna have to steal that deal.

My dad did some pens for me that use chains also. He welded a plate to the pipe and knotched the L in in for the chain to hook. Weld the chain to the post it closes against. I moaned and groaned about it initially but have not had one issue yet.

Brute you are still young and run some of the old fashion Brimmer girl's on rough ground.
I was amazed that opening up the pen cooled the fight or flight instinct. I just accidently stumbled on that as an after effect. When I tore down the old cross tie oak board pen and replaced it with this one. The same cow's were like a completely different bunch. That could have just been an anomoly here as well. I can see how they don't feel trapped like a rat being closed in. On the headgate hinge's I cut a hole through the drill stem and welded it on both side's.
Making the headgate operate like a gate made loading on the trailer a 1000% easier. They just didn't like going through it to load or when you were just worming them. There is a another gate right behind it that is hard to see as it is folded up against the chute. Put it in to palipate or doctor one as it is trapped between the two. The other gate behind that one open's back into the pen if you get one in the chute you don't want to go to town cut her right back in the pen.

 

[greybeard]

I like the hinged head gate too. I saw this setup when we drove by coming back from your pasture--wish I had took a closer look at it.
It's taller than it looks in the pictures btw.
Got some questions...
Do you have a sorting gate somewhere in the chute?
If not, what do you do when you get one in the chute you don't really want in there?
If you miss one in the head catch, is it still contained in the pen or is it then out in the pasture? ( I can't tell by the pics)
The grey or silver 6 or 8' long gate right past the walk in gate--what does it do?

I have a Preifert 91 headgate--it's so heavy I don't know if it wouldn't take an 8" steel post to make it hinged. Supposed to be full opening to 28"--dunno-- haven't got it mounted to the headgate stand yet and that stand sure looks "light" to me.

I know what you mean about those board pens. I loaded my sister's cows out a couple years ago and had an old red horned cow go over the top, break the board and push the wire panel down--off she went and we didn't get her back in for a couple weeks.

 

[Caustic Burno]

GB in the second pic there is the head gate first behind it is a gate on the right you can see the handle sticking up. This will close behind one and lock and is setup to pull a calf, The third gate in the chute open's into the pen making a circle if you want to cut that one back in. On the inside behind that gate is one that you can swing closed and cut one back into the front lot to cut out to pasture or bring back around to the sick lot.
Then you have the steel plated chute gate. behind that is the sweep that is gated and will hold four or five girl's till you open the chute gate. There are seven gates in that chute system.

 

[Caustic Burno]

GB the silver gate swing's over at an angle against the walk through gate allowing you to cut one back into the the trap and you can bring it back around or put it in pen again or the sick lot.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I like the hinged head gate too. I saw this setup when we drove by coming back from your pasture--wish I had took a closer look at it.
It's taller than it looks in the pictures btw.
Got some questions...
Do you have a sorting gate somewhere in the chute?
If not, what do you do when you get one in the chute you don't really want in there?
If you miss one in the head catch, is it still contained in the pen or is it then out in the pasture? ( I can't tell by the pics)
The grey or silver 6 or 8' long gate right past the walk in gate--what does it do?

I have a Preifert 91 headgate--it's so heavy I don't know if it wouldn't take an 8" steel post to make it hinged. Supposed to be full opening to 28"--dunno-- haven't got it mounted to the headgate stand yet and that stand sure looks "light" to me.

I know what you mean about those board pens. I loaded my sister's cows out a couple years ago and had an old red horned cow go over the top, break the board and push the wire panel down--off she went and we didn't get her back in for a couple weeks.

When you come back over this way to pick up that group of heifer's stop by and we can walk through it.
I can't really get high enough to take good pictures of the lay out. Just had a scary thought I could get the Mrs' to lift me up in the bucket. I will see how brave I can be.

 

[Texas Gal]

When you come back over this way to pick up that group of heifer's stop by and we can walk through it.
I can't really get high enough to take good pictures of the lay out. Just had a scary thought I could get the Mrs' to lift me up in the bucket. I will see how brave I can be.

I double dog dare you. If you don't do it, there's not a man in your family. :lol:

Seriously, that's nice set of well thought out AND well made pens.

 

[brimmer X]

CB, like your pen system. The tank with the green lid, is that a liquid feeder? If it is, what do you use in it, and are you satisfied with the results and cost?