Handling facility for 25-30 head

[possum_hollow]

I am working hard to bring the old farm up to working order, and have studied a lot of plans for handling pens. Anyone have any helpful hints, plans or sites to suggest?

Thanks!!

 

[Tegerian]

This site has a good variety of plans, they might have something to meet your needs.

http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/abeng/beefplans.htm

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Check out some of the suggestions from Temple Grandin (a respected professor of livestock behavior and handling at Colorado State University). Her website: http://www.grandin.com

She has a number of books, manuals, etc., and drawings in her publications.

 

[ALX.]

Check out some of the suggestions from Temple Grandin

Recently saw a tv show featuring her. Showed her moving through a handling system like a cow, trying to pick out things that would balk a cow. Very interesting.

Thanks for the website RAB.

 

[dun]

First rule is no matter how well layed out and designed it is, don;t build anything permanent until you've worked cattle through it half a dozen times. Strange cattle is the best test for what you did wrong (less right) the first time.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I am working hard to bring the old farm up to working order, and have studied a lot of plans for handling pens. Anyone have any helpful hints, plans or sites to suggest?

Thanks!!

This is a good design I have one simular works well.

http://www.cps.gov.on.ca/english/bc1000/bc1831.htm

 

[ALX.]

I am working hard to bring the old farm up to working order, and have studied a lot of plans for handling pens. Anyone have any helpful hints, plans or sites to suggest?

Thanks!!

This is a good design I have one simular works well.

http://www.cps.gov.on.ca/english/bc1000/bc1831.htm

Does it work well one man?

 

[Caustic Burno]

I am working hard to bring the old farm up to working order, and have studied a lot of plans for handling pens. Anyone have any helpful hints, plans or sites to suggest?

Thanks!!

This is a good design I have one simular works well.

http://www.cps.gov.on.ca/english/bc1000/bc1831.htm

Does it work well one man?

Extremely well I didn't put the side loading chute on mine, I put a walk way on that side as well. I also put a gate where you can turn them out of the chute back into the pen. I also added another gate opposite gate one.

 

[novatech]

Mine is similar to CB,s
http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/abeng/plans/6230.pdf
And yes it works great by myself. Thats how I prefer it.
I found it helpful to have a long 10 ft. alley with several gates for cutting and sorting. But I can also do the same in the chute if need be.

 

[DiamondSCattleCo]

I've used the minimum working corral that CB posted and it works very well for one man. Keep it fairly tight though. The neighbors used that plan, but enlarged it for large groups of cattle. They have trouble getting animals into the chute/squeeze area as they've got alot of room to run around.

About the only real improvement that could be made to that plan is a sliding gate at the entry of the chute. Nice for Ivomecing to be able to fill the chute and work down it. Also round off the two square corners.

Rod

 

[grannysoo]

Thanks for the info and plans. All I have now is a "portable" corral.

Going to build something permanent if it will ever cool off here...

 

[possum_hollow]

Thanks for the info. I am thinking of going with a modified minimum working corral plan. The extended alley with reverse curve sounds like a good way to go.

 

[Beef11]

with the price of a good working facility see if you can't just get by with a 60' rope.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I've used the minimum working corral that CB posted and it works very well for one man. Keep it fairly tight though. The neighbors used that plan, but enlarged it for large groups of cattle. They have trouble getting animals into the chute/squeeze area as they've got alot of room to run around.

About the only real improvement that could be made to that plan is a sliding gate at the entry of the chute. Nice for Ivomecing to be able to fill the chute and work down it. Also round off the two square corners.

Rod

You are dead on about being to big, mine work down from a one acre catch pen to a smaller pen and finally the working pen. If one gets through the catch gate they are back in the one acre catch pen.

 

[possum_hollow]

with the price of a good working facility see if you can't just get by with a 60' rope.

That is exactly what I am getting away from. We have used portable panels for years, it is way too much work. Because it is way to much work, my cows don't get the attention they need.

 

[grubbie]

The one I am building has a 150 X 150 lot that is six strand barbed wire to catch them in. Then down to a 50 X 50 corral. From that there is an 8 foot lane to go to two smaller pens, 24 X 24. The 8 foot lane also has a gate at the end for trailer load out. The second 24 X 24 has a very small crowding pen leading to the squeeze chute. The chute opens on the side to release animals back into the first 24 X 24 pen. Works well for one man operation. You may not need this much room, depends on how many head you are running.

 

[DiamondSCattleCo]

This is what I'm in the process of building right now. Its a slow evolution, but I'm getting there:

Its based on a pie plate design, and I'm not real crazy about the sharp angles at the pen corners, so I'm going to put double oversized gates to keep the corners rounded off. Something like this makes it real easy for one man to handle livestock all day long.

Rod

 

[Brute 23]

That is alot of gates. Not sure what you are using for gates but I would not reccomend aluminum in those areas where it starts getting crowded. Good solid board gate or pipe.

I have use the half moon deal that alot of the portable set ups have and I don't like it.

Had a family member build pens like this a couple years ago. They are awesome. One or two people can easily handle cattle,, even if they are a little wild. It is all pipe. THick black lines are gates and red lines are where the gates can close.

This is probably the best designs I have ever seen for that scale of operation.

 

[dun]

We;re restricted by terrain and existing buildings but here's the set up we use

 

[Earl Thigpen]

I learn something every time I log on here. Thanks!

After looking at some of the pen designs, the one's that folks say work best (for them) are not anything like what the "experts" from the universities recommend. For example, most of the so called experts say that the chutes and alleys should be curved and blind yet the design CB (or whomever) presents is not curved. Is it blind? (Does it have plywood or plastic or something else covering the structrual panels to keep the animals from getting distracted)??

By the way, is this called a hijack? If so, let me know and I will move this off.