how wide should a loading chute be?

[tex452]

Have you ever tried to load a Jersey or a brimmer and they laid down and sulled up. No way to get them up. They just lay there until they want to get up. I never back up to unload in the pens just drive into the larger catch pen and unload. Most of the time I am moving to another pasture or the vet and they are put back in the place the came from. I have not bought anything but bulls. I have not bought any cows in the last 25 years just raise all of them,.

My grandpa had a Brahman bull that would lay down and roll his eyes behind his head. They put firecrackers on his nuts and it didn't phase him.

 

[Brute 23]

Have you ever tried to load a Jersey or a brimmer and they laid down and sulled up. No way to get them up. They just lay there until they want to get up. I never back up to unload in the pens just drive into the larger catch pen and unload. Most of the time I am moving to another pasture or the vet and they are put back in the place the came from. I have not bought anything but bulls. I have not bought any cows in the last 25 years just raise all of them,.

I have learned to bucket train my bulls like a horse. It has paid off so many times. When we sold the bull in my avatar, I backed up to a 16' gate, got his bucket out, walked up in the trailer a little bit, sat it down, and went out the escape door. I walked around behind him and closed the gate. He went to my neighbor and he was limping several months later. Loaded him in the pasture the same way so vet could make sure nothing was in his foot. He still comes up to the fence and gets cubes from me. Best investment I ever made in bulls.

Now I do the same with heifers. I have a lease place for heifers with basically a pen and chute down one side. Chute is real bad shape and has no gates or any thing. Last 2 groups of heifers my son and I backed up to the 12' gate, just put their buckets in the trailer, and stood behind them enough so they felt pressure but didn't try to bust on us. You have to have a little patience but once one went the whole pile went. Just walked up and shut the gate.

When them old bulls get big its nice to not take them down a chute. If they will load out a gate I will go with that every time.

 

[Rafter S]

Have you ever tried to load a Jersey or a brimmer and they laid down and sulled up. No way to get them up. They just lay there until they want to get up. I never back up to unload in the pens just drive into the larger catch pen and unload. Most of the time I am moving to another pasture or the vet and they are put back in the place the came from. I have not bought anything but bulls. I have not bought any cows in the last 25 years just raise all of them,.

I have 4' walk-though gates in my pens. I back up to those when I want to unload cattle in the pen.

 

[Dave]

The other thing I did at my loading chute was to slope where the trailer parks slightly. Gravity holds the trailer door open. I don't have to worry about the wind, a cow, or anything else swinging the door. Not so much as to make the door heavy to close but enough to hold it open until I shut it.

 

[tex452]

This loading chute is 6 1/2' wide
Works good.
I have 3 other chutes made from guardrail.

 

[Andy]

Adjustable alley normally range from 18' to 30', loading chute and cattle crush should be like about 30'...

 

[tex452]

Here's another one of my loading chutes.