Loading cattle

[Hondac]

We have a forty foot alley way leading into the squeeze chute. Plannin on adding another alley way at the exit end of chute to load cattle thru. Is it acceptable to run cattle thru squeeze chute into loading alley way, or does another method work better?

 

[Brute 23]

If they fit it will work. Most of the time people y off the main chute back into the pens and put their squeeze chute on cement. Straight ahead is a clear shot to the trailer or pasture.

 

[bird dog]

I would avoid it if possible. It increase's the chance for injury and is tough on calves trying to follow their mother. Going through the chute increases the stress level more than just running them down a wide alley. The place I bought has a set of pens where the loading alley is about 6' wide. I didn't think I would like it but I have learned to just shut the gate behind them as they get close to the trailer and let them slowly load them selves. Once in a while they bottle up but usually one will enter the trailer and the rest will follow.

 

[dun]

A lot of how chute and loading systems are set up depends on the area available. On ours I set a 4' gate right after the sweep that can be left closed to run them down the alley to the shute or opened so it blocks the alley and they exit through the gate. I have panels set up off of that gate that we back up to for loading. Actaully works pretty well

 

[Hondac]

If they fit it will work. Most of the time people y off the main chute back into the pens and put their squeeze chute on cement. Straight ahead is a clear shot to the trailer or pasture.

If I understand you correctly, the "straight shot" down the narrow alley would be into the trailer and the squeeze chute is located at like a 45 degree angle off the straight alley?

 

[Caustic Burno]

If they fit it will work. Most of the time people y off the main chute back into the pens and put their squeeze chute on cement. Straight ahead is a clear shot to the trailer or pasture.

If I understand you correctly, the "straight shot" down the narrow alley would be into the trailer and the squeeze chute is located at like a 45 degree angle off the straight alley?

That is what I do just the other way around, I can cut out of the alley right back into the holding pen,go on the trailer or to the chute. The Chute is a straight shot out the trailer loading is sitting off at a 45 degree angle, with a cutting gate in that chute back to the pens.

 

[Cabo]

A lot of how chute and loading systems are set up depends on the area available. On ours I set a 4' gate right after the sweep that can be left closed to run them down the alley to the shute or opened so it blocks the alley and they exit through the gate. I have panels set up off of that gate that we back up to for loading. Actaully works pretty well

I use this setup. By the time they get out of the sweep they are glad to get in the trailer.

 

[Brute 23]

If they fit it will work. Most of the time people y off the main chute back into the pens and put their squeeze chute on cement. Straight ahead is a clear shot to the trailer or pasture.

If I understand you correctly, the "straight shot" down the narrow alley would be into the trailer and the squeeze chute is located at like a 45 degree angle off the straight alley?

Yes

 

[Calman]

A lot of how chute and loading systems are set up depends on the area available. On ours I set a 4' gate right after the sweep that can be left closed to run them down the alley to the shute or opened so it blocks the alley and they exit through the gate. I have panels set up off of that gate that we back up to for loading. Actaully works pretty well

That's the way ours is set up Dunn.
It works for us.

Cal

 

[Hondac]

Thanks for the ideas guys. We bought a priefert sweep and squeeze chute with 20' alley. We will build the rest of the system with pressure treated posts on 4 foot centers with cattle panels attached except for the various gates which must be purchased.

 

[dun]

Thanks for the ideas guys. We bought a priefert sweep and squeeze chute with 20' alley. We will build the rest of the system with pressure treated posts on 4 foot centers with cattle panels attached except for the various gates which must be purchased.

For ours we just use alley bows and a long spike driven in the ground to anchor them. The only problem was that they are meant to be at the ends of the panels and since we use a dozen different manufacutrers none of them could be fastened together very easily. I just cut them top and bottom and welded extensions in so that are on the outside and still make the alley the right width.

 

[CKC1586]

One thing I learned many years ago (from my Dad) was whatever you are loading that you do not want to load INTO the sun because it makes the trailer/truck look like a dark tunnel and the critter will not want to go into that dark scary tunnel.

 

[dun]

One thing I learned many years ago (from my Dad) was whatever you are loading that you do not want to load INTO the sun because it makes the trailer/truck look like a dark tunnel and the critter will not want to go into that dark scary tunnel.

Or downhill, cows don;t like to get into a trailer if it's sloped away from them. If the trailer is really clean and they balk at stepping in from the ground, throwing some old hay or straw on the back edge will sometimes get them to walk right in. I guess it helps with their depth perception or something. Works good if they tend to walk upto the trailer then stop and look at the back edge of the floor

 

[mlazyj]

How many cattle are you talking loading ? Pot loads or stock trailer ? Either way you don't want to load out of a narrow alley . Run your cattle to pens that you can sort out of . You want the pens to feed a alley that is as wide as your stock trailer ,if that is what you are loading . Have at least 2 gates in the alley before your load out so you can crowd your drafts up and if you have a wreck they don't spill clear back to the pens . The last gate should sweep almost to the back of the trailer.