Width of alley

[C HOLLAND]

OK,, what is the normal width for an alley leading into a squeeze chute. I run Angus and Charolais

I know mine is to wide ( a rookie mistake) I am close to 33 inches wide and plan to close it down to 28" at the top and 24" at the bottom.

any advice is appreciated.

 

[Bez?]

OK,, what is the normal width for an alley leading into a squeeze chute. I run Angus and Charolais

I know mine is to wide ( a rookie mistake) I am close to 33 inches wide and plan to close it down to 28" at the top and 24" at the bottom.

any advice is appreciated.

Mine is as wide as yours and as far as I am concerned it is perfect. You must have real small cows.

There has been a huge amunt of discussion on this - some of it within the past two weeks - time for a search.

You close it down you might be sorry. There is always a time that the width of 32 is good. My breds have to really struggle to go through at the present width.

Big cows cannot turn around and unless you have an adjustable chute your young stock will always be able to turn around.

I would leave it - but it is your place.

I could never understand a 28 inch chute - my standard chute is too narrow for even my yearling heifers to turn around in. Maybe they are simply larger than average?

Bez?

 

[Bama]

mine is 29" with the capability to make it 18 for the smaller calves.

 

[Bez?]

mine is 29" with the capability to make it 18 for the smaller calves.

That is the way to go - adjustable.

Bez?

 

[C HOLLAND]

Thanks Bez and Bama,

I think part of my problem is that I don't have the panels locked into place and they move wider as the cows put pressure against it. I made my own alley with some HD panels and may only need to make some adjustable spreader bars to solve my problems. (time for the dust to be knocked off the welder)

I did one good thing last week and purchased some tarps to put on my sweep gate and panels, this really helps since they cant see me when I push them through with the sweep gate.

 

[3MR]

mine is 29" with the capability to make it 18 for the smaller calves.

Do you have an easy way to do this?

 

[Diehard40]

CHolland,
your plans sound about right to me.
more people should build their allys sloping like that. This will make it smaller for calves while leaving room for the bigger cows. Just make sure insides are smooth that way if a bigger cow rubbs going down the ally she won't get scratched up or cut up too bad.
I have also heard of people tying old tires to inside of ally to make it smaller to accomodate calves.

 

[dj]

With the cost of plywood this might not work for you.
When I want to squeeze the calves in the alley.
I place a junk pallet next to one side to act as a spacer.
I put two hangers per sheet of 5/8.
Then hang the plywood to the top bar of alley over the pallet. The weight of the plywood pivoting at the top keeps the pallet in place and it narrows the alley by 5 inchs on one side.
I've wondered about using a wire panel instead of the plywood for small calves. But it worked when I needed it so probably won't change till it no longer works.

 

[C HOLLAND]

Lots of good suggestions, I like the tires and then use the plywood to change the width, the tires and plywood would be easy to hang from the top rail of the panels with some rope.


thanks to all for their suggestions

 

[Caustic Burno]

OK,, what is the normal width for an alley leading into a squeeze chute. I run Angus and Charolais

I know mine is to wide ( a rookie mistake) I am close to 33 inches wide and plan to close it down to 28" at the top and 24" at the bottom.

any advice is appreciated.

I run mine at 26 inches I want hair slipping when they come down the chute, prevents a lot of blow ups. Old bulls have to suck it in but with a hot shot on his ass he has no problem at all.

 

[C HOLLAND]

Thanks CB,

I asked a friend that owns a sale barn and he said all of theirs was around 26-28 inches, but they had a larger alley for some of the BIG BOYS they get occasionally.

 

[alabama]

OK,, what is the normal width for an alley leading into a squeeze chute. I run Angus and Charolais

I know mine is to wide ( a rookie mistake) I am close to 33 inches wide and plan to close it down to 28" at the top and 24" at the bottom.

any advice is appreciated.

I run mine at 26 inches I want hair slipping when they come down the chute, prevents a lot of blow ups. Old bulls have to suck it in but with a hot shot on his ass he has no problem at all.

I think it is better to work cattle slow and gently. A hot shot has its place but I try to never use one unless I have to. 28 inches to 30 inches works fine for me. I do have some smaller calves turn around but if you just run one calf down the chute at a time you can push him along fast enough that the wider chute is no trouble. I never get in the chute with cows or bulls but calve are easer worked one at a time with me behind them in the chute.

 

[C HOLLAND]

Thanks Alabama

I will normally walk behind my cows or bull if I am just running them through the chute into the loading alley. The only time I have had trouble was with the smaller heifers and a calf that kept turning around. I have been giving them a little feed at the exit of the alley and they go in much easier. (amazing what an empty feed bucket will do )

I am going to do annual vacs tonight and will run them through the way it is for now. The heifers I bought last Nov are around 1150 lbs now and they shouldn't be any problem ( I HOPE ) they are all pretty easy going.

I also plan to wean a calf from his mama by putting them in adjoing pasture for a few weeks, I was told that was the easiest way to wean them.

 

[alabama]

Make sure that you have a good fence between the momma and the calf. they will creap through barbed wire. You may need a hot wire.

 

[Caustic Burno]

OK,, what is the normal width for an alley leading into a squeeze chute. I run Angus and Charolais

I know mine is to wide ( a rookie mistake) I am close to 33 inches wide and plan to close it down to 28" at the top and 24" at the bottom.

any advice is appreciated.

I run mine at 26 inches I want hair slipping when they come down the chute, prevents a lot of blow ups. Old bulls have to suck it in but with a hot shot on his ass he has no problem at all.

I think it is better to work cattle slow and gently. A hot shot has its place but I try to never use one unless I have to. 28 inches to 30 inches works fine for me. I do have some smaller calves turn around but if you just run one calf down the chute at a time you can push him along fast enough that the wider chute is no trouble. I never get in the chute with cows or bulls but calve are easer worked one at a time with me behind them in the chute.

I can pen them with a bucket of cubes but when they go in the chute I am working them not playing with them. This is a one man opertaion. I have an axe handle in every corner of the pen, you would be surprised how fast a big boy can get down a narrow chute.

 

[C HOLLAND]

CB

I agree about it's not play time in the chute, I work them with just me and the wife, she operates the head gate and I push them down the alley. She hands me the shots and I give all the injections.

When I set up my working pen, I put a lot of thought into it and looked at several from local cattlemen that knew what they are doing.

I keep trying to improve on what I have, it is tough to do by yourself with a manual headgate though.


I appreciate all the help and comments and I don't pretend to know it all. If I stop learning I will be in a pine box.

 

[Bama]

mine is 29" with the capability to make it 18 for the smaller calves.

Do you have an easy way to do this?

Hang spacers down the side on ropes. 4 inch pvc pipe on both sides will stop the smaller ones from turning around. You can add a couple of boards low enough that shorter calves will hit on the side and larger cows will be above this at their widest part. Old pallets work well also,just turn them where the wood runs with the chute. Best way to to it is to have the lower portion on a hinge about halfway up. Completely open it is setting against the rail, set in you can build locks for it to catch on.

 

[E.T.W.]

I just built my first chute just a few days ago and I guessed and made it 33" x 8'! I also made where I could adjust the length by adjusting some cross bars. I am also making it adustable along the sides! It looks better than the shacls I seen in Nam and people lived in those! ETW

 

[Wewild]

28" is what we use.

 

[backhoeboogie]

30" barely accomodates my bull, but I like 30" for an all purpose width.