Loading cattle from a corral ring?

[Calhoun Farm]

Trying to make things easier on myself and wondering if anyone has any tips on loading cattle from a corral ring? Right now we have to drive the cattle from our big bottom to the barn (approx 400yds). This has always been a headache because where our bottom (pasture 5 in the picture) has a gate that the cattle MUST go thru in order to get them headed towards the barn where we normally load then from. More times than I care to remember we've had stubborn cows that won't come to that gate and we end up not being able to load them that day. I'm tired of letting the cattle determine when they are hauled off and I'm looking to be the one in charge :cboy:

My idea was to buy a corral ring and put two feed troughs in it. Feed a few times a week just to get the cattle used to coming and going to the corral. That way when its time to haul them off I can trap them in the ring by closing a gate and then back the trailer up to it and they don't have a choice whether they load or not. Our current process is just too stressful on me and them.

Our barn is circled in blue in this picture. I was thinking about putting the ring where pasture 5 meets pasture 4. The difined line is a ditch FYI.


here's the type ring I was considering

 

[suzorse]

I see a lot of panel pens near the gate of pastures around here, they must work or the ranchers would not use them , they are for loading out to move to a different field
Suzanne

 

[Calhoun Farm]

I have a supplier about 2hrs from me that sells 10ft panels for $53/ea. I'm estimating I'd need 12 which would cost me about $630.

 

[3waycross]

We do it all the time. Ours are just cake broke and we put up the panels a few days early (sometimes) and call the cows in and cake em in there a couple of times before we load out. However we also cake em every time we go to the mountains to check them which is a couple of times a week.

 

[Hook]

We do it all the time. Ours are just cake broke and we put up the panels a few days early (sometimes) and call the cows in and cake em in there a couple of times before we load out. However we also cake em every time we go to the mountains to check them which is a couple of times a week.

Same here. Only thing I would add is that we attach 4 panels into an alley way so they load up easier. We put the alley up after we turn out the ones staying.

 

[Farmerjon]

If your cattle are a little rowdy or only one sticks his head under a panel, he can lift the whole assembly and it will make enough noise to spook all the others and in a flash you will have a stampede, round corral half way across the pasture and it so bent that it needs driven over by a tractor to straighten out.

 

[M.Magis]

One thing to consider, is will you be able to pull a trailer to the new location no matter the weather? I currently have my loading facilities quite a ways from the road, and I'm at the mercy of the weather as to when I can buy or sell cattle. A 4wd tractor might help that out, but I don't have one at this time.

 

[Calhoun Farm]

One thing to consider, is will you be able to pull a trailer to the new location no matter the weather? I currently have my loading facilities quite a ways from the road, and I'm at the mercy of the weather as to when I can buy or sell cattle. A 4wd tractor might help that out, but I don't have one at this time.

My dually would sink to the axles if it was wet no doubt about it. We do have a 4wd JD and my dad fabricated a 3pt hitch piece so we can pull our GN trailer with it. So I could pull the trailer to the ring with the tractor, load up, then pull it back to the road and hook the truck up. In terms of unloading thats a non-issue, we always unload at the barn and run them down the lane to the bottom. Most times we put them in the smaller pasture by the barn for a few days to calm down after we buy them then run them to the bottom.

 

[Bigfoot]

Be careful with those hitches, they can flip a tractor over backwards in the blink of an eye. Maybe not with a front end loader, but without they are deadly.

It's hard to drive cattle anywhere with out dogs, and horses. I think your only chance is to feed them frequently.

 

[branguscowgirl]

The round pen that you are showing in the pic is for horses. I have bought and used light weight horse panels for my cattle, and it has been a waste of money. They bend, welds break, and the cattle move them around. Just 1 wild 500ld calf can manage to fold that pen up. I only buy heavy gauge Powder River panels now, (or something similar.) The heavier panels cost 3 times that of the horse panels. Just my experience, for what it's worth.......
The whole idea is good though. Similar to the setup I have now. But as everyone has said, ground has to be solid and you will want an alley of some sort.

 

[Deepsouth]

Why not put the panels in field number 4 at the gate. Feed them in there until they will all get comfortable going in it. Then pen them shut the gate to field 5 and let them into field 4 by removing a panel. You still have to drive them to the barn though but it sounded like your problem was in field 5.

 

[Deepsouth]

It's hard to drive cattle anywhere with out dogs, and horses. I think your only chance is to feed them frequently.

Yeap, that's what range pellets are for.

 

[dieselbeef]

i use feed to manage mine..i feed em in the pens and lock em in...rarely will one escape me

on the downside..no way yer buying a panel for 50 bucks that will hold any cow.

mine cost 150 ea and are so heavy ya cant lift em. takes 2 of us to set up a 20x20 pen. the dlr told me they weigh 165 ea. if theyre hooked together the bull wont even lift enm..but he can sur emove em around enough to make alotta roubles

for that i will use those anchors you screw into the grnd and chain the panel to em. it works great and when we leave that pasture we leave nothin behind..well..poop.... yeah but

 

[Calhoun Farm]

The picture I posted of our farm is a little misleading because you can't see the fences.

here's another picture;


what's inside the black is what we own, the white lines are where fence is, the purple are the gates. Our issue is we have to get the cattle thru the gate where pasture 5 joins pasture 4. If we don't we can't get them up to barn. My idea was taking all the guess work out of it. Put the ring in pasture 5 where the cattle already and get them used to coming inside it to eat.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Bud W. could load a trailer in the middle of the paddock w/o any corral. I have tried, but I could not do it.

We can call most our cows into a corral from quite a distance. Just a little more Hard Cull'in to go...

An easy way to corral trained cattle is to make a lane against a permanent fence using poly wire for a temporary wing side. Most cows will go through the gate just like they should, and when the bitches stop to look back you are right there blocking, so 99% will then go with the herd flow rather than taking the pain. An ideal lane is about the width of a pickup with the doors open.

Never buy $53 panels. Tooooo light. Buy electric wire if you want to go low cost.

 

[Calhoun Farm]

I don't think I need those big heavy panels, we raise feeder calves. The biggest anything gets on our place might be 600 or 650. If we still had 1300lb cows and 1700lb bull then yes I could see needing them.

 

[dieselbeef]

they will bend them useless

 

[Calhoun Farm]

In terms of cost what about buying cattle panels and making a ring using them and 6ft fence posts? Those are cheaper than the gate panels and could be wired to the t-post.

 

[Hook]

Get the heavy ones. If one person can lift them,it's too light. A good panel should take 2 people to move

 

[dieselbeef]

depends if ya wanna buy em and watch em get detroyed by cows and rust or buy 150 lb pipe panels galv dipped and keep em for 10 yrs.
even my prieferts didnt last more than 3-4yrs. they rust and cows smash em. the hvy galv ones i got now are almost as good as permanent pens..almost