Squeeze Chutes

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wacocowboy

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Central Texas
So I like watching Dr Pol very interesting show. I have noticed something 90% of the time when they go to these farms to do something with a cow they ain’t got a squeeze chute. They are pushing them up in a corner with some old junk panels or a rope. The dude was palpating at a sale barn and all they had is an old wood alley with a board behind the cow. Is that how you Yankees roll? Down here every one I know has a chute and definitely every sale barn has one. Also the pens at most of these places are a joke. No offense meant just curious.
 
I think a couple of things come into play.First they have to make the show entertaining and second most of the people are either dairy or backyard beef producers with only a few cows.
 
I love the show.
I don't think there is a vet out here that would chase cattle, put their own halters on the cow, etc. I would think - no facilities, no vet. Vets out here mainly only handle dairy cattle. They are used to being warm & comfortable.
Sale barns near me have great facilities.
He is in REAL backyard rural area, I'm guessing.
 
Kentucky producers: most have handling facilities with headgates at a minimum and most have squeeze chutes or as Ken calls them - a crush.

The cost share program has made a dramatic increase in the number of modern facilities. Depending on the county, it pays 50 % of the cost.
 
We don't have squeeze chutes. And have only had headgate s for about the last ten years. And some of my cattle are a little rank. You can sure get by without just fine.
We've got quite a few cattle nowadays. If they ever get back were there worth something i might buy one. It's not very high on my list though.
 
callmefence":1p4bi3pq said:
We don't have squeeze chutes. And have only had headgate s for about the last ten years. And some of my cattle are a little rank. You can sure get by without just fine.
We've got quite a few cattle nowadays. If they ever get back were there worth something i might buy one. It's not very high on my list though.
Click to expand...
Do you have an alleyway with headlock? I totally agree you do not need a mechanical sqeeze chute or a pipe chute. I do have an old chute (not squeeze). They are a lot nicer than an alley-type system as far as being able to "get" to their body/feet/udder. Both my sides open up completely.
 
Love watching Dr Pol! We have a chute at the barn but it's about 50/50 whether our vet uses it on a house call, contingent on the situation and the cow. My girls are used to being handled and sometimes he doesn't need it for a physical exam (stifle or back injury, etc) and sometimes he just uses a halter & ties it to a post.
 
I believe Dr poll operates about an hour and a half North and a little East of me! But Around here most people don't have more then just a few cows making it hard to justify much equipment! So there might be a little exaggeration going on but there are a lot of places around that are really like that!

But we don't have cable tv so I don't watch the show
 
Jeanne - Simme Valley":2otq6e7l said:
callmefence":2otq6e7l said:
We don't have squeeze chutes. And have only had headgate s for about the last ten years. And some of my cattle are a little rank. You can sure get by without just fine.
We've got quite a few cattle nowadays. If they ever get back were there worth something i might buy one. It's not very high on my list though.
Click to expand...
Do you have an alleyway with headlock? I totally agree you do not need a mechanical sqeeze chute or a pipe chute. I do have an old chute (not squeeze). They are a lot nicer than an alley-type system as far as being able to "get" to their body/feet/udder. Both my sides open up completely.
Click to expand...

Yes and I build a heavy pipe gate that swings in and out behind the headgate.
I can put it bit of a squeeze on em. Or open it up.
When I build for customer I recommend every section of the alley be able to open up. If youve ever had one go down in the alley you know why.

But there was a time that we would snub em to a post or a tree. It certainly wasn't desirable but we did it all the time. I remember the old man losing some teeth when I was pretty small.
 
"Yes and I build a heavy pipe gate that swings in and out behind the headgate.
I can put it bit of a squeeze on em. Or open it up.
When I build for customer I recommend every section of the alley be able to open up. If youve ever had one go down in the alley you know why.

But there was a time that we would snub em to a post or a tree. It certainly wasn't desirable but we did it all the time. I remember the old man losing some teeth when I was pretty small."
I "assumed" you had good facilities. You don't need "fancy", you need SAFE. Great idea having each section open up.

Back in the 70's, my husband learned how to AI in Kansas. He started breeding for people. "Most" people that had beef cattle back then, did NOT have any facilities. The vets had a chute with gates/coral system that they hauled around the country. So, when the beef producers around decided they wanted to try AI, they would put a rope on them & snub them to a tree. We would chase the cow around the tree until she was snubbed up tight & he would breed them. Bred several laying down!!!
 
i don't see how you can't have facilities. My cows all started absorbing calves since I wasn't giving lepto shots.
 
wacocowboy":je1wos01 said:
So I like watching Dr Pol very interesting show. I have noticed something 90% of the time when they go to these farms to do something with a cow they ain’t got a squeeze chute. They are pushing them up in a corner with some old junk panels or a rope. The dude was palpating at a sale barn and all they had is an old wood alley with a board behind the cow. Is that how you Yankees roll? Down here every one I know has a chute and definitely every sale barn has one. Also the pens at most of these places are a joke. No offense meant just curious.
Click to expand...
Waco I don't have a squeeze chute but do have a head gate. Never even use the head gate unless I'm doing something to the head. Otherwise we just push the cow up to the headgate, put a pipe or post behind her and do what ever needs to be done from vaccinations, doctoring, breeding, palpating, whatever. Wouldn't know how to act around a squeeze chute.....(Also did it this way when milking cows).
 
Jeanne - Simme Valley":3l979owu said:
"Yes and I build a heavy pipe gate that swings in and out behind the headgate.
I can put it bit of a squeeze on em. Or open it up.
When I build for customer I recommend every section of the alley be able to open up. If youve ever had one go down in the alley you know why.

But there was a time that we would snub em to a post or a tree. It certainly wasn't desirable but we did it all the time. I remember the old man losing some teeth when I was pretty small."
I "assumed" you had good facilities. You don't need "fancy", you need SAFE. Great idea having each section open up.

Back in the 70's, my husband learned how to AI in Kansas. He started breeding for people. "Most" people that had beef cattle back then, did NOT have any facilities. The vets had a chute with gates/coral system that they hauled around the country. So, when the beef producers around decided they wanted to try AI, they would put a rope on them & snub them to a tree. We would chase the cow around the tree until she was snubbed up tight & he would breed them. Bred several laying down!!!
Click to expand...

Yeah about my pens.... think the mechanics car.
 
callmefence":2euhzg1j said:
Jeanne - Simme Valley":2euhzg1j said:
"Yes and I build a heavy pipe gate that swings in and out behind the headgate.
I can put it bit of a squeeze on em. Or open it up.
When I build for customer I recommend every section of the alley be able to open up. If youve ever had one go down in the alley you know why.

But there was a time that we would snub em to a post or a tree. It certainly wasn't desirable but we did it all the time. I remember the old man losing some teeth when I was pretty small."
I "assumed" you had good facilities. You don't need "fancy", you need SAFE. Great idea having each section open up.

Back in the 70's, my husband learned how to AI in Kansas. He started breeding for people. "Most" people that had beef cattle back then, did NOT have any facilities. The vets had a chute with gates/coral system that they hauled around the country. So, when the beef producers around decided they wanted to try AI, they would put a rope on them & snub them to a tree. We would chase the cow around the tree until she was snubbed up tight & he would breed them. Bred several laying down!!!
Click to expand...

Yeah about my pens.... think the mechanics car.
Click to expand...
Worry not Fence.....gotta find some use for those old wood pallets and bed springs. :lol2: :lol2: :hide:
 
When we were in practice in southern middle TN, back in the late 80s, the UT Extension folks did a survey... 70+% of cattle producers had no real working facilities... no corral, no headgate, no chute.
I believe it. We used a dadgum tranquilizer gun way more than I ever wanted to.
I was no hand with a rope, but if they were closed up in an old tobacco barn, and I threw enough times, I'd eventually get a loop on one and be able to snub her up to a post.
Did many a C-section with the cow rolled up on her back and tied to the brushguard on the front of the practice truck.
Some folks had NOTHING. I always wondered how they ever managed to get anything hauled off to the salebarn.
 
Vet won’t even come out if you don’t have a good working facility. I don’t know what the state would have made me do to release my cattle if I couldn’t get a vet out. The State Vet was backed up for over six months.
I got lucky and was one of the poor SOB’s that got drawn in the TB lotto and had to quarantine the herd until tested and certified TB free.
Bangs quarantine got me the first time in the 70’s so I am a little anal on herd health.
 
I did the head gate and temporary panels for a good while until the bull laid the panels over at an angle. He couldn't get adjusted upright and I had to grab the tractor and straighten everything up with the bucket. I was really lucky it wasn't a major wreck. Made up my mind then that I would build a decent working area because I usually work them alone. Life has been so much better since doing it.
 
slick4591":nwmzwm88 said:
I did the head gate and temporary panels for a good while until the bull laid the panels over at an angle. He couldn't get adjusted upright and I had to grab the tractor and straighten everything up with the bucket. I was really lucky it wasn't a major wreck. Made up my mind then that I would build a decent working area because I usually work them alone. Life has been so much better since doing it.
Click to expand...

Before I built my facility, I was pouring 4 big cows (1900 pound cows, I know because I have since sold all). I had them crowded with corral panels. I came very close to being under a corral panel when they pushed it over and they were not even excited. I decided after about 5 seconds of deliberation that I needed a facility.
 
Lucky_P":17o1q5ea said:
When we were in practice in southern middle TN, back in the late 80s, the UT Extension folks did a survey... 70+% of cattle producers had no real working facilities... no corral, no headgate, no chute.
I believe it. We used a dadgum tranquilizer gun way more than I ever wanted to.
I was no hand with a rope, but if they were closed up in an old tobacco barn, and I threw enough times, I'd eventually get a loop on one and be able to snub her up to a post.
Did many a C-section with the cow rolled up on her back and tied to the brushguard on the front of the practice truck.
Some folks had NOTHING. I always wondered how they ever managed to get anything hauled off to the salebarn.
Click to expand...
its gotten better here over last few years..the tight rascals Would wait till the cow was down to call a vet, majority of the time they would lose the cow being to late, and would blame the vet.."""he ain't any good he couldnt save my cow""it was bad when I hauled for the public. Some of the places you'd have to load out at..I've had to be pulled out with dozers..backhoes..
 

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