Handling Facilities

[tuckerfamilyfarms]

Hello,
I am new to the board and have been reading tons of posts on the beginner board and have enjoyed it thoroughly. I am needing some help in setting up a facility for handling cow/calf pairs. I am running about 10 momma cows and need suggestions for corral panels. Do you have a preference on brand/length/gauge of steel? I am also in the market for a head gate. I am primarily working cattle by myself and would appreciate any suggestions. Thank you in advance.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Until you get yourself a headgate, you might want to consider a medina gate. "Medina hinge" some folks call them. Here's a link to Bobcat's pics. I use a medina gate for a whole lot of things I do instead of the squeeze or head gate.

http://grangercattleco.com/medinahinge.html

 

[dun]

A lot depends on what kind of infrastructure you already have, the space avaialble for the working area, in some cases the lay of the land, etc.

 

[tuckerfamilyfarms]

I am basically starting from scratch. The place is just an open, flat field. I am doing rotational grazing so I am thinking about using electric fence to get them into a holding pen and then use panels to create a long chute with a head gate at the end. How long should they alley be to the head gate? Should it turn at the end before they get to the head gate so they don't all try to turn around? How wide should the alley be? I have heard 28-32 inches to keep them from turning around.

 

[cow pollinater]

Personally I've found railroad ties and 2x8's the be the cheapest and sturdiest corrals. That can vary some by region depending on shipping costs and availability.
As far as width, I like 28 inches but I try to keep smaller cows so if your cows are big then more may be better.
For ten head(I'm assuming they're fairly gentle), I think I'd go with a bigger catch pen, a smaller crowding/sorting pen that you can push them into that's no more than ten feet wide, and then a gate of no more than eight feet that will lead from the crowd pen to the alley with a tight tapered area in between the gate and the lead up. I wouldn't make it much longer than twenty feet as you'd have plenty of room to hold half the cows in the crowding pen and that gives you five cows in the lane.
And :welcome:

 

[dun]

A main gather area that can be gotten into by multiple gates so that you can have flexibility as to whihc pasture area they're coming from. Fairly centrally located, electricity on a pole if possible. A method of loading a trailer form the alleyway without having to run them through the headgate. Arranglemnts for having them gatered after the go through the headgate so you cna direct them through the catchpen to sdend them back out to the approrpiate pasytre. A method of sorting off after th headgate to run them back through the alleyway for hose ones that you might miss or remember after they've been released that you have to do something to them. We use msotly 10 or 12 foot corral panels with 10 foot bow gates to break the smaller areas into areas for sorting. Don;t build anything really permanenet yet (other then maybe water inside the main catch pen, that will let you modify things as you see better ways of doing things. We use T posts at the ends of each panel and the panels chained to the post. Keeps the cows from moving stuff around. A good medium to heavy weight panel 5-6 foot tall works well. If you find the stuff at auctions rather then buying new the method of the panels being connected togehter isn't all that important. We have panels with the loops at the ends that the latches to hook them together arer all at different heights so that on most of them where the make of panel changes we can;t use the latches that they are equiped with. For those I just use a 6 foot piece of rebar and drop them through the loops, simplist way I've fond of hooking hem together. For those that kind of go off at odd angles or at someplace other then at an end we use a couple of pices of chain with double ended dog snaps to hook them together.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

on the headgate the only two i would want would be the upper end priefert or foremost.

 

[dun]

on the headgate the only two i would want would be the upper end priefert or foremost.

The Priefert auto catch is awfully hard to beat

 

[novatech]

Here is some good info.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/b906/index.html

 

[Stepbystep]

Great info. Thanks

 

[tsmaxx47]

on the headgate the only two i would want would be the upper end priefert or foremost.

The Priefert auto catch is awfully hard to beat

ditto on the priefort autocatch especially if you're working alone.....

 

[ohiosteve]

Until you get yourself a headgate, you might want to consider a medina gate. "Medina hinge" some folks call them. Here's a link to Bobcat's pics. I use a medina gate for a whole lot of things I do instead of the squeeze or head gate.

http://grangercattleco.com/medinahinge.html

I agree with backhoeboogie. I just set up this medina hinge style in the corner of my barn and it has worked splendidly for my small operation. I set the gate 15" from the wall for calves. I am constructing a similar heavier duty one for my cows. I slide a board behind the calves butt and they aren't able to move much.

 

[wildsawmill]

i got plans from
one man corrals
there great

 

[Rhune]

Hate to hijack the thread...

I am building a corral as well. Using 2x10s and RR ties. Is it okay to get away hanging the 2x10s with 4" deck screws or do I need lag bolts?

 

[Anonymous]

Deck screws will hold them just fine. Just make sure they are on the inside do if they push on them they don't pop. That way they are also pushing against the ties

 

[cow pollinater]

I use nails and 2x6's on my corrals. lumber costs will vary by region but for me it was alot cheaper to go with 2x6. I use nails so that when (not if but when) I have a blowout I can easily tack everything back together same day.
Like hook said, the boards need to go on the side that gets the pressure. Anywhere that gets pressure from both sides gets at least two bumper boards on one side of the tie and the full four on the other side. Example: My sorting lane runs along the back of two larger pens so there are four boards on the inside of the lane but on the pen side of the same fence there are only the two middle boards so that the cattle are always pressing against a board with a tie behind it and never just a board.

 

[Rhune]

Ahhh.. never thought about bumper boards. At what heights do you set em?

 

[backhoeboogie]

Wood burns. That goes for both wood posts and boards. I sure hope you folks never learn the lesson the hard way. Like I did.

 

[Dave]

I use rough cut 2 by 6 that is cut a full 2 inches by a full 6 inches. I get them from a guy with a small portable saw mill. They are a lot stronger than the 2 by 6 from the lumber yard that is actually only 1 5/8 thick. That way "when" doesn't visit as often. And for me they are cheaper than standard retail lumber.
As for BH's concern about fire. If you are in a fire prone area think steel. If not wood will probably be much cheaper. Wood is also much easier to tear down, move, change, repair, or replace.