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Corral Design

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rightwinger82

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Sep 7, 2014
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The Beef State
Getting ready to do some major corral overhaul, which will consist of replacing a wooden tub and alley with a steel tub and alley. From my research, I had kind of decided a half circular tub would be the optimum design, but when you put it in my corral setting, I have concerns that the tub may be hard to fill. The second option is to use a quarter circle tub and try filling via a basic bud box design. The cattle are held in a 60 foot run on the east side of the barn, and I don't think that straight loading them into the tub will work well.

Just looking for some thoughts on which of these designs you guys think might work best. I only expect to bring 5 head at a time into the tub alley system. Your input is appreciated.



 
Yes I have. The thing is I have to make this fit inside of an existing corral system. The alley cannot be moved and the area south of the alley is the only way to drive equipment through to other areas in the corral. Funds are limited. What I am using now works well, but is wore out. Trying to upgrade without "reinventing the wheel".

The cattle start out in a 12' by 60' run east of the barn, come through a gate to the south side of the barn. From the pen south of the barn I need to get them in the crowding tub. Not sure how best to do that. If I use a longer gate at the barn corner and eliminate the corner in the pen, I believe that would help. Replacing the red marked gate with the drawn in black gate. The blue crowding gate would be swung strait west for loading the tub.

 
What about if you eliminate the section of tub where you have "waste" ? Then you could load the tub from the alley and have some cross gates to eliminate some running back and forth as cattle can be moved forward and penned closer to tub.The crowding gate can be backed onto a solid fence when open. That way you aren't trying to chase cattle out of a pen into the tub.
Another is to make another alley going west along the barn then turn at the end and make another alley going east into the tub. With cross gates you could stage quite a few cattle and move smaller packages that move through the tub better.
 
Big Muddy rancher said:
What about if you eliminate the section of tub where you have "waste" ? Then you could load the tub from the alley and have some cross gates to eliminate some running back and forth as cattle can be moved forward and penned closer to tub.The crowding gate can be backed onto a solid fence when open. That way you aren't trying to chase cattle out of a pen into the tub.
Another is to make another alley going west along the barn then turn at the end and make another alley going east into the tub. With cross gates you could stage quite a few cattle and move smaller packages that move through the tub better.
Click to expand...
If I understand you right that is basically what I have in the second drawing. Moving cattle out of the pen on the south side of the barn has always worked well. If you work it as you describe I think you spend extra time chasing extra gates.
 
Guess you got to build it like you want it as it is you that has to work with it.

I just find it easier to load cattle in the tub from an alley rather then chase them around a pen .

Our set up is in the barn. We come down an alley in the door and they go up an alley along side the crowding alley. Through the tub and down to the chute. They go out the other side of the barn with a sort in gate in the alley so we can go two ways as in Preg and open.
 
rightwinger82 said:
Big Muddy rancher said:
What about if you eliminate the section of tub where you have "waste" ? Then you could load the tub from the alley and have some cross gates to eliminate some running back and forth as cattle can be moved forward and penned closer to tub.The crowding gate can be backed onto a solid fence when open. That way you aren't trying to chase cattle out of a pen into the tub.
Another is to make another alley going west along the barn then turn at the end and make another alley going east into the tub. With cross gates you could stage quite a few cattle and move smaller packages that move through the tub better.
Click to expand...
If I understand you right that is basically what I have in the second drawing. Moving cattle out of the pen on the south side of the barn has always worked well. If you work it as you describe I think you spend extra time chasing extra gates.
Click to expand...


Yea more like you second drawing.
 
What he has now is very similar IMHO to a bud system, in respect to cattle flow. Just there is no box. Which if he incorperates the tub into his current set up, the flow would be the same. Plus if your help doesn't understand the bud thearoy of cattle movement, a Bud Box is pointless and will cause more problems than it helps.

As far as I can tell, the only advantage to drawing #2, is the cattle wouldn't have as far to run back on you if they would get turned around before the "sweep gate" of the tub would close the hole. To me, he has a catch pen already beside the barn. Utilize it, and have a bigger tub area vs. a 1/4 tub.
 
I'd be inclined to turn your whole squeeze alley around 180 degrees so that the cattle are entering it going back in the direction they came from. I also don't care for straight, steel squeeze alley. I feel they work better if they can't see out and can't see very far ahead. JMHO
 
Silver said:
I'd be inclined to turn your whole squeeze alley around 180 degrees so that the cattle are entering it going back in the direction they came from. I also don't care for straight, steel squeeze alley. I feel they work better if they can't see out and can't see very far ahead. JMHO
Click to expand...


That is a thought. You would have to revamp a load out though. If you had your chute east of the "tub area", you could incorperate a gate some how maybe. You could use your alley in each direction if you had a gate on each end???? IDK.
 
Am I understanding that the cattle enter the corral south of the barn via the pen on the east side of the barn?
I would consider the second drawing. Put a gate in your tub between your tub gate hinge and the alley going to your chute. When you bring cattle in, bring them all the way through the tub & in to the pen south of the barn. Then load the 60 ft east side through that gate. May need a wing on the end of that gate. Also for sure have a gate at corner of barn, but longer than 10 ft. Hinge it on the south end. That way cattle that fight going in one gate may sail in the other. What corner of the pen south of the barn do cattle tend to go to.
 
You show 25 foot of space for your tub. Your tub will likely take 20 foot up on a 180 degree tub. That leaves a five foot gate opening... However, your pictures seems like you have a lot more area?

One other option I use a lot is a Tub with a ten foot straight panel. Hmmmm... Having troubles figuring out posting pictures on my Mac... But, it basically rotate the tub.
 
Lower Right corner of this page is the tub layout i am thinking...

http://www.powderriver.com/files/Product_Flyers/WorkingSys_flyer6-29.pdf
 

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