Criticize my facility ideas, please.

[cmjust0]

Hey gang. Long time, no see.

Lots done, still a lot -- but not nearly as much -- left to do.. Went back and forth over where to locate my chute/alley/headgate about million times, and finally came up with what I think is a pretty good idea. I'm counting on you guys to tell me if/where I screwed up.

I basically fenced off a fairly wide section of a draw for a catch pen right off the main pasture. The far side fence is closer to the creekbed, but still pretty steeply uphill of it. The creek itself is very ephemeral -- only trickles when it pours..

The nearside fence runs parallel with the hillside for a hundred feet or so, angles down toward the creek bottom, then turns back straight and follows along the edge of the bank. The other side of the fence edges closer to creekbank at this point as well. Where the fences get relatively close, the creek naturally goes from a bit of a wanderer to a very concentrated alleyway. The bed itself is about a 24"-30" width of solid limestone and the banks are steep -- about 3" high, and covered with grass.. They open up to about 6" across at the top edges, and the fences are within a foot or so of the edge on both sides.. That is, it's sort of a vee-shaped alley about 8" wide. Unless I'm very wrong, they should -- on their own, with their own brains -- find it easier to go single file through here.

That configuration continues maybe 20' until steepness of the creekbank eases considerably down by the barn. At that point, the farside fence crosses the creekbed and both sides of the fence curve up and out of the bed completely, then narrow fairly quickly to a 28"-30" chute heading into the barn. Inside the barn, the chute will continue for...I dunno...15' or so and straight into an automatic headgate.

I'm working on a way to sort'em at least two ways on the other side of the headgate and I'd like to find an easy way to weed a few out before they get there, but I'm not that far along yet.. As it stands right now, they'd just be loosed into the barn/barnyard -- and that's OK, really..

Anyway.. Criticize me, please.. What I'm looking for are any false assumptions on my part which could lead to trainwrecks. Any and all opinions welcome, no matter how rediculous or mean spirited they may be. :lol:

 

[cattleluvr18]

Unless I'm very wrong, they should -- on their own, with their own brains -- find it easier to go single file through here.

good luck with that part. i know i cant see any of my cattle bein smart enough to do that. but then again thats just my cattle.

with the rest of it, hey, whatever works for you.

 

[ROCKSPRINGS]

Make sure you leave yourself room to back a trailer up and load.

 

[cmjust0]

good luck with that part. i know i cant see any of my cattle bein smart enough to do that. but then again thats just my cattle.

:lol: :lol:

Well, the main purpose for that area is to act as more of a funnel than anything. Even if they decide to try it going two or three wide on the creekbank -- which seems to me like it would be really counterintuitive for a cow -- all I really care about is that they all go the same direction: Forward, toward the chute..

At 28"-30" wide, they'll have no choice but to go single file down the chute..

Well, that or they'll decide to freak, balk, spin, and proceed to try to kill everyone and everything in sight.

Did I mention that the notion of being able to apply fairly close pressure from above (being on higher ground, looking down at the cattle in the creekbed) and outside the fence was a major selling point for this idea? :lol:

 

[Nowland Farms]

cmjust0,

I am having a hard time getting an idea based on your descriptions but, just remember,

Most of the time cattle prefer to -

-Move up a slope instead of down a slope.
-Move into a brighter area instead of a darker area.

Be sure to put in some gates to keep them from backing up.

 

[cmjust0]

Make sure you leave yourself room to back a trailer up and load.

That's actually a sticking point right now.. I can get a trailer inside the barn, but not right up to the gate. Poles everywhere..

I'm considering the idea of making the chute run the length of the barn, with a gate in the side a few feet past the headcatch.. I'd cut a narrow door in the barn at the end of the chute to where I could back the trailer right up.. Build up the bottom a little with some gravel (or a ramp or mats or whatever) to ease the height transition and they'd never even have to know they were being loaded into a trailer 'till they were already there.

Just an idea, I guess..

 

[cmjust0]

I am having a hard time getting an idea based on your descriptions but...

I'm sure it is.. I could barely describe the idea and I'm the one who thought it up. :lol:

... just remember,

Most of the time cattle prefer to -

-Move up a slope instead of down a slope.
-Move into a brighter area instead of a darker area.

Once they get down into the creekbed, it fairly flattens out.. When they make the curve into the chute, they're moving uphill.. By the time they have to enter the darkness of the barn, they're already single file in the chute with nowhere else to go..

Even so, I've considered adding a little bit of makeshift roof out over the chute to make the transition into the barn a little less nerve wracking for them. I read somewhere that it helped -- especially if they're looking toward the sun, which might be the case if I were to work them at certain times of the day/year.

Be sure to put in some gates to keep them from backing up.

I'm workin' on that, too.. I'm looking for a few good points of no return, but the general lay of the land really doesn't lend itself to gates.. May have to hinge something narrow (piece of a feedlot panel, maybe?) to the bottom of a wider gate, then shut the wide gate across the top of the creekbed and let the narrow..thing..fold down..

Weird, I know..

I've always been pretty good at making things harder than they had to be, though.. :lol:

 

[J. T.]

Maybe I'm missing something here, but I can't imagine building a corral in a creek bed.

 

[john250]

I basically fenced off a fairly wide section of a draw for a catch pen right off the main pasture. The far side fence is closer to the creekbed, but still pretty steeply uphill of it. The creek itself is very ephemeral -- only trickles when it pours.. :lol:

How long have you been there? If a ditch or draw has eaten down to the bedrock it has been out of its banks at some point or other. I don't think I'd parallel any ditch or creek with an alleyway, much less build directly in the ditch. They all flood at some point. Also, clean water regs would frown.

Your funnel needs to be as wide as you can make it and empty the cattle into a very secure pen large enough for your herd. Some sort of sweep gate to get them in the alley. The 28-30" wide alley only needs to be a couple cows long, but it needs to be oak (bolted) or steel.

Don't count on the cows going anywhere single file. Not until they have first tried going three wide and then two wide. If they haven't widened out your chute after that they may consent to go single file.

Good point about driving cattle from above--but I'd put a runner board on my alley. If the ditch is 3 feet deep but 6 feet across at the top, they'll jump right out of there.

 

[curtis]

Pictures would help, i'm like some of the others on here, i would never build a catch pen or corral in a creek bed or ditch.
But , maybe it will work for you.

 

[tncattle]

Your idea is full of problems. You should come set up all your facility equipment at the place we are buying for a trial run of a year. After that if it works then I'll keep everything and you'll know what to do for your facilities. What an offer! :lol:

 

[dun]

I'm no good at visualizing verbal descriptions. But, I would recommend that you don;t make everything permanent to the point that modifications/changes can;t be made. After you use it a couple of times you'll see betterr or least different ways of setting things up that will make things work smoother.