I am in need of an easier way of getting into the feedlot with the feeder wagon then having someone come out and watch the gate, or chasing the calves back in after me. Nasco has a "drive thru" gate for $130. Anyone use these? I am leary of one of the arms getting stuck on something the first time thru and breaking off. Comments???????
Drive thru gates
- Thread starter Dee
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Oldtimer
Well-known member
You need a good cow dog- Just train it to stay at the gate to watch it for you while you're in the feedlot. They are hard working, low maintenance and love their jobs............In the winter while feeding mine (border collies) watch the hay yards gates while I go back and forth to haul out bales- nothing gets in....
Well, Oldtimer, I will try the cattle dog. Someone abondoned a Blue Heeler here about 5 years ago. 3 years before we had cattle. At this point my daughter has "Lou" domesticated, and her present job is holding down the couch. So today is her first day on her new job!
I have an Austrailian Sheppard that I am going to train to do the same thing. I don't know why I didn't think of that! Great idea - only thing is my cows are real bossy & pushy when they want food I wouldn't want her to get hurt.
certherfbeef
Well-known member
In my experience, the drive thru gates work better when used in conjunction with some type of cattle guard. Like double checking to see it the gate is locked. Sometimes the cattle guards get filled with hay chaf and other things.
We put a drive through gate in last year and love it. All of our fencing is electric so it wasn't a big deal to energize and the cows got "trained" right away. The one we have is made to pull apart if it catches on something so it won't wreck it. I'm thinking of putting in a couple more were we a driving in and out a lot.
ChrisB":1aidy2ob said:
We use ours between pastures so we can drive from one pasture to the next without having to get the gate. I still feel more comfortable with a regular gate on the road. We even have gates in places where there are cattle guards. The cattle guards are great when you are moving cattle around but we don't feel comfortable with the alone.
Dee":36iao5yc said:
For those who have never traveled to the great West, cattle guards are horizontal steel rails placed at fence openings on highways to prevent cattle from crossing. For some reason the bovines will not step on the guards, probably because they fear getting their feet caught between the rails. We need to make that clear in order for everyone to appreciate the following TRUE story.
President Clinton received a report that there were over 100,000 cattle guards in Colorado. Because Colorado ranchers protested his proposed changes in grazing policies, he ordered Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt to fire half of the guards immediately.
Before Babbitt could respond, and presumably straighten him out, Colorado's congresswoman Pat Schroeder intervened with a request that before any were fired they be given six months of retraining.
