New working system

[customcattle]

The wife and I are in the process of buying a new place and I've been trying to figure out what I want for working facilities. Wanting some feedback on what you think of this design. I wouldn't call it a bud box, but kind of would be working on the same principles, with the option of being able to use the gate as a crowd gate to an extent. Let me know good, bad, etc. I do have a set of pens on another place that I put a solid wall 90 degree tub where they funnel right back down the alley way fence, but its a booger to get them loaded in the tub, once in they hit the hole without any effort.

I'm not sure if the pictures will load or not.

https://postimg.cc/w3smLd9s

https://postimg.cc/3k34s4mg

 

[5S Cattle]

I'd add a gate about 10-20 ft behind that one. That way if they blew out of that crowd at the end, they wouldn't go all the way to the end of the alley again. Helps for sorting also

 

[5S Cattle]

I'd make a gate into that run by the barn actually for sorting off calves

 

[customcattle]

I'd make a gate into that run by the barn actually for sorting off calves

Here is a picture of the whole pen set up.

https://postimg.cc/MMrZFXxm

Horse runs coming off the barn, the pen behind the roping boxes would act as a pen for roping cattle, unless working cows. I haven't put it in yet, but the overhead half way down the alley would have a gate on it. All the pens would be made from continuous fence panels, except for the big trap off the end of the runs, that would be no climb horse fence top railed. We already have the arena, but it's made from pretty flimsy panels so I wouldn't want to work cows in the alley unless just moving them through there.

 

[5S Cattle]

You work horseback or on foot?

 

[customcattle]

You work horseback or on foot?

Most the time once we get them corralled we will sort and work on foot.

 

[76 Bar]

Snazzy design app. Did you create it and/or is it available for purchase?

 

[customcattle]

Snazzy design app. Did you create it and/or is it available for purchase?

It's called sketch-up. you can purchase or download a version for free.

 

[76 Bar]

Thank you!

 

[snoopdog]

Not enough smaller pens or cut gates for sorting in my opinion. If to scale, all the large pens and right angles are gonna be a problem, you didn't mention the number of head, but it looks quite expansive to be on foot. 12 ft wide is the accepted limit for efficient movement on foot. Using a gate like that for crowding is fine ,but without a solid locking mechanism can be dangerous. My wife suffered a crushed sternum from just such a setup.

 

[5S Cattle]

Not enough smaller pens or cut gates for sorting in my opinion. If to scale, all the large pens and right angles are gonna be a problem, you didn't mention the number of head, but it looks quite expansive to be on foot. 12 ft wide is the accepted limit for efficient movement on foot. Using a gate like that for crowding is fine ,but without a solid locking mechanism can be dangerous. My wife suffered a crushed sternum from just such a setup.

Exactly what I was thinking. I'd need a good horse and tame cattle to be efficient in there. Everything looks pretty big to be on foot

 

[customcattle]

Alley is 12 foot wide and around 80 foot long. With a gate in the middle you would only be walking 40 feet. As far as the right angles go, cattle are gonna ball up in any corner there is, unless you make everything round with no corners they will ball up. I worked calves in a hundred thousand dollar working facility today and then came home and worked them in my facilities here and really didn't have any more cattle ball up or balk here than we did there.

 

[customcattle]

The pens in the design are 32x60, 24x60, and the smaller pen by the chute would be 30x40. We would work 80-100 head through. When we work cattle we generally work either cows or calves hardly ever both on the same day. My thoughts with the gates at the end of the alley, toward the arena, is that cows would be sorted back into the gathering pen and calves down the alley in the arena, or into either pen on the sides of the alley. As far as the corners go, I guess with the design of the bud box I'm not worried about corners. I have been to a lot of places and heard many guys who have tubs say they don't like them and very few guys who have gone from a tub to a bud box who would ever go back to a tub.