Squeeze chute questions?

[Shoestring]

I use this squeeze a couple times a year. 1) I know it's older than my dad would have been. But, It's what I have. It will hold the bigger cows in place ok. Well, now that I tied it down. But, that's another story. I can't lock calves heads in. They slip out. Does it have something to do with the 'shepherd's hook' bar that lays down in front? I know that that bar is not just for looks. But I dunno. Anyone have an answer?

 

[sstterry]

I use this squeeze a couple times a year. 1) I know it's older than my dad would have been. But, It's what I have. It will hold the bigger cows in place ok. Well, now that I tied it down. But, that's another story. I can't lock calves heads in. They slip out. Does it have something to do with the 'shepherd's hook' bar that lays down in front? I know that that bar is not just for looks. But I dunno. Anyone have an answer?

Can you post the picture? I doubt that it has anything to do with the bar that lays down. My guess is that the holding bars do not lock close enough to the calf's neck. But, we need to see the pic.

 

[Shoestring]

I use this squeeze a couple times a year. 1) I know it's older than my dad would have been. But, It's what I have. It will hold the bigger cows in place ok. Well, now that I tied it down. But, that's another story. I can't lock calves heads in. They slip out. Does it have something to do with the 'shepherd's hook' bar that lays down in front? I know that that bar is not just for looks. But I dunno. Anyone have an answer?

 

[SBMF 2015]

So it's a Guillotine style headgate? Looks like you could are a piece to the top yoke to make it not as deep.

 

[wbvs58]

Have you thought about putting a more modern headgate on it?

Ken

 

[sstterry]

I take back what I said since it is a guillotine style. We don't see many of those where I am from.

 

[TCRanch]

I'm not familiar with the guillotine style. If a new head gate isn't in your budget, my only suggestion is to have someone in the chute with the calf to squeeze it in from behind to keep its head in place.

 

[Allenw]

It's Sunday I can't say why I think about such a piece of equipment. You have my sympathy for having to use that.

 

[callmefence]

So it's a Guillotine style headgate? Looks like you could are a piece to the top yoke to make it not as deep.

Im thinking weld a large nut 11/4" maybe, on each side to slide a slightly smaller long bolt through. A nut to secure it and make it removable.

 

[greybeard]

I believe that's a version or clone of a Silver King chute and headgate. State of the art when I was a teenager and the Ag Dept at my high school had one. The bar you are asking about is a nose catch. Most people wrapped that with cloth feed sacks or something else for padding. You would swing that out from the pivot point before the animal was in the head catch. As soon as the guillotine was dropped and cow was secure, you would swing the nose catch back to the closed position to capture it's nose and to keep the animal from swinging it's head back and forth.



I don't remember seeing one used on calves but the nose catch did work pretty good with sheep.

Biggest problem we had in the ag dept with that style chute and HD was getting horned cattle to stick their heads in the small opening to begin with.

 

[greybeard]

A different brand or type with the nose catch..

 

[Shoestring]

I appreciate the answer! Yes, it is as old as I, and except for the time a cow took off with it, I have been ok with it. It's 'building character ', although I would have thought that I had enough of that by now!

 

[damengineer]

It may also be an old W-W also made in Oklahoma.. I have one and I was going to put a modern saloon door headgate on it. It was going to be a hard job, and I needed a chute for a cow who lost a calf nearly immediately. I bought a tractor suply chte made by Behlen. I used it one year and bought a Q-Catch before that Behlen one gave me a heart attack. I lost more cattle through that chute in 2 months than I lost working cattle for 50+ years.. The Q catch was expensive, but worth every penny..

 

[riquezada]

Yeah prob what you said would work. Im overseas now away from cattle...but looking back 35 years I once thought about putting in a narrower chute and small head gate just for calves...the regular chute worked ok if i put in something to keep calves from turning around. The automatuc gate had adjustable sides but many times to heavy for calves to push and lock shut...

 

[gcreekrch]

I appreciate the answer! Yes, it is as old as I, and except for the time a cow took off with it, I have been ok with it. It's 'building character ', although I would have thought that I had enough of that by now!

Building character is never a bad thing!

 

[WFfarm]

A different brand or type with the nose catch..
View attachment 4887

That looks like the Silver King portable chute our vet used to have. We used it a lot until we bought our own Pfeiffert. It had a lot of miles on it and it got passed around the county when he retired and lent it out. I liked the way the lift wheels worked and stayed with it. I do remember that top head bar could be a chin whacker when you weren't careful releasing it.

 

[Shoestring]

Building character is never a bad thing!

Huh. Character

 

[Shoestring]

That looks like the Silver King portable chute our vet used to have. We used it a lot until we bought our own Pfeiffert. It had a lot of miles on it and it got passed around the county when he retired and lent it out. I liked the way the lift wheels worked and stayed with it. I do remember that top head bar could be a chin whacker when you weren't careful releasing it.

I would not have bought the squeeze chute. I really wanted the 30' alley? Behind it. But the Auction house had the tires and hubs on the squeeze chute. And there was only one set. Weirdest setup I had seen. H2" hub slides on a 2" bar welded under the frame. Step on the bar that sticks up. dropping the tire, raising the chute. Drop a pin in and off you go.