Going through corrals moving pastures

[Bestoutwest]

How do you guys feel about cows going through corrals from one pasture to another?

 

[Bright Raven]

You mean walking through an open corral or breaking through a corral to get to a better pasture?

 

[JMJ Farms]

I'm in the process of setting mine up where the have to go through the corrals at least half the time on a normal rotation schedule. And they will also have to get water from a trough inside the lot while in some pastures and will also have access to that water trough even if they have a secondary water source in the other pastures.

Easier to trick them sometimes. They are caught before they realize it. And also gives them the sense that the lot is not always a "bad" place.

 

[kenny thomas]

I wish I could design mine so they would do just that. Can't remember the name but one of the members had his designed so they not only went through the lot but also through the chute. He said it made it very easy to work them.

 

[Nesikep]

Mine love coming into the corral.. free food they don't have to work for!
They also seem to know when it's weaning time and they really don't mind getting rid of the calves (well, until they don't have the calves anymore)..

 

[snoopdog]

I think it's a great idea , wish I could incorporate it into our program . The first time I ever saw a 4way gate, I thought "wow".

 

[backhoeboogie]

Mine went thru the alley every time they changed pastures. At least once a month. They were easy to trap in the alleys. There was a series of Medina gates that could be used for just trapping if need be.

 

[Ebenezer]

Works good. But allow a detour route in case the corrals are holding a group.

 

[pricefarm]

I agree great idea. The farm I lease is set up that way. There are 10 different fields there and 6 out of the 10 pastures they have to come through the corral to get to them. So when I open the gate to the corral they all come running because they know there going to greener grass.

 

[farmerjan]

We have a couple of places where they have to come into a smaller lot to go through into a new pasture for grass. They get used to coming in and don't feel threatened. One place has the water troughs inside a "square" that the gates can be opened or closed to whichever pasture they are in so the cows can be contained in the "square" also. Have a long lane that the cows have to go up to a field, and we keep it closed off until we want to catch or move them and then they will come in for the fresh grass and we can catch them in that. We set up portable corral panels at one place so that the cattle have to go through to the next field and they get used to having to be a bit crowded before they can move into the next field. Makes it easy to move some animals in or out of that place.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Works good. But allow a detour route in case the corrals are holding a group.

our corrals and working pens came off of the south side of the alley. The set up allowed you to cut out calves into another pen from there. The "alley" itself was really no more than a fenced in roadway but it had been reinforced and paneled on the working end. We didn't have as many pastures as others have noted.

It would have been easier to take them straight from the upper pasture thru a gate, but they always went thru the alley.

Smaller calves were jumpy and since I calved year round, the little guys were a problem sometimes if they got separated or if they were laid up in one pasture. You had to check the cows close to make sure none had calved recently otherwise you could leave a calf behind. (that's the only part I didn't like about it)

 

[Bestoutwest]

Thanks guys. I went on a camping trip this weekend and ended up at a living history day at a farm/ranch museum. The only thing that piqued my interest was the corral. The house was built in 1911, which wasn't very impressive since the house I grew up in had a foundation from the 1760's and a second house on it from the 1860's (first burned down). This gave me a whole new idea, and it's all I could think about for the rest of the day.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Interesting - house I live in is old. Used to be a school house that they moved onto an old stone foundation where the house had burned down.
My cattle graze on about 75 acres of pasture + some woods. All pastures lead back to lot behind barn where their water supply is located. A few paddocks have a water supply in them (winter lot areas). So, just call them to the water lot and they come running, knowing we will give them new pasture - unless we tricked them to work them. LOL
On the subject of working/sorting cattle, you might be interested to know how we sort cattle. Nephew & I grab a polywire reel. He holds the reel, I just weave in & out of cattle holding the other end, pick it up & go over top of some and sort out what we need & walk them out of paddocks into work facility. Young calves need to be kept with their dam because they just scoot under the "non-hot" polywire. Our calves are "taught" at birth to go under hot hi-tensile to get to their 3-side shed for winter protection.

 

[5S Cattle]

I'd have a way to bypass like ebenezer said. Could get real muddy if you have a wet year

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

My water lot is large and deep old gravel - solid base. Mud is not an issue. I can see in most cases that would be a major issue for laneways or small lots.

 

[Bestoutwest]

I'd have a way to bypass like ebenezer said. Could get real muddy if you have a wet year

Thanks for the advice, but we live in the desert. I'm lucky to get above 12" a year. We do irrigate, but it's so hot and dry that in a day or so it doesn't look like you watered. And I'm talking about putting down 4"+ in 24 hours.

 

[5S Cattle]

I'd have a way to bypass like ebenezer said. Could get real muddy if you have a wet year

Thanks for the advice, but we live in the desert. I'm lucky to get above 12" a year. We do irrigate, but it's so hot and dry that in a day or so it doesn't look like you watered. And I'm talking about putting down 4"+ in 24 hours.

Wow that's a lot of water to put down to soak right up. Sandy soil?

 

[Bestoutwest]

I'd have a way to bypass like ebenezer said. Could get real muddy if you have a wet year

Thanks for the advice, but we live in the desert. I'm lucky to get above 12" a year. We do irrigate, but it's so hot and dry that in a day or so it doesn't look like you watered. And I'm talking about putting down 4"+ in 24 hours.

Wow that's a lot of water to put down to soak right up. Sandy soil?

Very sandy, and hard. About 18 inches down it's hard tack. Post hole digging is a b.

 

[backhoeboogie]

The gas company wanted to put cattleguards in my alleys. I made them build their own road. Several people here criticized me over it. Lol.

 

[True Grit Farms]

I'm in the process of setting mine up where the have to go through the corrals at least half the time on a normal rotation schedule. And they will also have to get water from a trough inside the lot while in some pastures and will also have access to that water trough even if they have a secondary water source in the other pastures.

Easier to trick them sometimes. They are caught before they realize it. And also gives them the sense that the lot is not always a "bad" place.

That's the way it should be set up and handled.