Loading cattle from a corral ring?

[Craig Miller]

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.

I dont think this is a good idea. We build a chute out of them. They are way too flexible. If a cow wants to turn around in it they will and the sides just bow out. It might work for your calves but....im just not happy with the way it turned out for us.

 

[fitz]

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.

I dont think this is a good idea. We build a chute out of them. They are way too flexible. If a cow wants to turn around in it they will and the sides just bow out. It might work for your calves but....im just not happy with the way it turned out for us.

I use the same setup. I have pretty docile cows. But, you're right Craig, if one wants to turn they will and bend your panels to fit. Had a Bull take about six of them up a hollow one day when he decided he'd had enough fun.

fitz

 

[backhoeboogie]

You've got a lane on the bottom left side in that pic. I would bring the calves into that lane any time I changed pastures. Feed them cubes in that lane once a week. Add a cut gate and a trap gate for sorting. Put a pen or two on the side of that lane and load them out of that pen. That would work for sorting cows from calves or doing things as simple as your feeders.

Everytime I move cows, they go through the lane. If they could just go from one pasture to the next through a gate, I still take them thru the lane. Truck horn honks and I have to run that truck a bit fast at times across the pasture. It is a dead run to the alley lane. Usually it is just a thru run for them. If the gates are closed they are in.

 

[ifarm26]

I live in western NC calhoun, and I have a neighbor who set the six inch round posts around an alley he had between fields and he has created a loading chute this way. The alley way is about 150 feet long. He attached cattle panels to the posts and has bull gates arranged about every 20 feet through the 12 ft alley, or a total of six bull gates. He simply moves them into the alley with feed and closes the gate behind them. The natural tendency of the cow to return to where it came from makes them head back towards the closed gate. He then closes the next gate up the chute, basically crowding them in. He then starts working them up the alleyway to a small wooden loading chute built off of the side of the front gate. I have watched him move 50 limousin cows into and out of this system numerous times. He summers them here and moves them to his homeplace in the winter. Not sure if this would fit your operation but he handles this all by his lonesome most times and it seems to work good for him.

 

[Calhoun Farm]

I live in western NC calhoun, and I have a neighbor who set the six inch round posts around an alley he had between fields and he has created a loading chute this way. The alley way is about 150 feet long. He attached cattle panels to the posts and has bull gates arranged about every 20 feet through the 12 ft alley, or a total of six bull gates. He simply moves them into the alley with feed and closes the gate behind them. The natural tendency of the cow to return to where it came from makes them head back towards the closed gate. He then closes the next gate up the chute, basically crowding them in. He then starts working them up the alleyway to a small wooden loading chute built off of the side of the front gate. I have watched him move 50 limousin cows into and out of this system numerous times. He summers them here and moves them to his homeplace in the winter. Not sure if this would fit your operation but he handles this all by his lonesome most times and it seems to work good for him.

The way we do it now its near impossible to do alone, thanks for the idea. Any chance you could get me a picture of his setup?

Thanks,

 

[ifarm26]

I will try to, but I am not very good at this technology stuff!

 

[myblackgold]

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.

I appreciate that input Bigfoot. I use our GN hitch on the 3 pt hook up on the tractor all the time and never gave it a moments thought. We usually have the loader on but at times i have had it off too. I will be more cautious!

 

[greybeard]

dieselbeef, I've mentioned several times I don't have cows. You keep recommending overkill things I don't need. 600lb calves and 1300lb big dumb cows are totally different.

I just had a 300# calf run right into a Preifert Premier panel (one step up from Utility and one step down from their Rough Stock panels) and she bowed the crap out of it.
(Had lots of trouble getting her penned, and once she went in and I slammed the gate shut, she instantly went berserk, crazy, bonkers nuts. You can buy her at the Livingston salebarn next Saturday)

 

[3waycross]

After chasing those fence crawling sunsabyches of mine in the dark for 2 hours tonight I believe I will load them with a front end loader tomorrow. I have never had a worse bunch of juvenile delinquent bull calves like I do this year. They are worse than goats and this time they went thru a 4 strand that was tight enuf to play like a banjo.

Give me a chance to unlimber the 300 win mag a bit.

 

[TexasBred]

Getting on up in the years I dont' like for anything to be harder than it has to be and hate to spend money on anything that's temporary and built lite. I'd rather you build a good pipe corral (doesn't have to be huge) with a sweep gate to force them into a lane that would lead to a load out area. Probably wouldn't cost much more than those nice panels. It would burn my a$$ to get them right where I wanted them then have them knock down a panel, bend one turnign around and come back on you and just totally disrupt the whole day. Especially when you're doing it all by yourself. Feeding a little in the coral off and on always help.