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Handling setup...

R

RSL

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Dec 19, 2008
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We are at a point where we have to replace our handling/sorting setup and working chutes. They are fully depreciated having been originally built by my dad and his dad in the 1950's and patched over time. With the wet year we have had some posts that were 4' deep in the ground that have moved for the first time in many decades.
We are looking at several options, including replacing the existing in the same spot (which has sunk over the years), investing in a steel setup (expensive because we use a long alley, building with conveyor belting and we have been looking at a portable set up.
We use a portable tub and alley for AIing and it works ok, but no one at our place is a fan of crowding tubs, short alleys or squeeze chutes (we have a 75' alley with a headgate that is rarely used.
What do folks that have them think of the portable corral setups like the rawhide, etc. pros/cons? We run right around 150 cows, but are expanding as most of our neighbours are exiting the industry. If we were to invest in a portable setup, it would basically become our only working corrals, other than some electrically fenced paddocks. Also, we do everything on the horse, I don't know if that makes a difference for the corral setups or not.
Also, just to note, each cow spends maybe 4 hours in a corral in the course of a year (branding/prebreeding vacc/synch/AI/pre-weaning)
Thoughts, advice are welcome...
 
Perhaps a combination of things would work; drill stem should be readily available in your country; steel frames covered with belting should work well. Build a permanent alley & adequate sort pens in your most desirable location and leave room to set your portable setup when needed. You might consider heavy free standing panels but they are pricey; I prefer posts set in the ground so gates hang & work right (allows for slam latches etc.). Loadout & treating facilities in particular need to be stout!
The important part is the design.....cattle must be able to flow easily with a minimum of help.....must be able to work easily with safety for stock & handlers. I'm sure there's Bud Williams designs working around your country......practical & efficient! Makes life a lot easier and done right will last until the next generation decides to improve on the old man's design!
 
Thanks for the reply CS. Our current system works really well, it is just done its' useful lifecycle (and then some). No tub and we can vaccinate 100+ cows in around 45 minutes. It takes us approximately 20-30 minutes to wean every year, and if the trucker changes the gates quick enough we can load out a pot in under 10 minutes. We load out using a bud box, although we never knew it was a "Bud Box" until about 6 months ago or so.
I agree on the posts vs. portable panels. Nothing like tripping over a support bar when working cattle.
We are looking at having to backfill probably 5 feet to rebuild all the unfilling that 50+ years of working cattle has accomplished in the current location. This spring was the worst mud yet. A portable outfit could be set up on any grassy hill, which is why we are looking at it as an option. It would be a replacement for the setup in the yard.
I am firmly against capital outlays in almost every form unless they somehow cut my other costs. When I get my Ritchie Brothers catalogues I never cease to be amazed at how much "stuff" it takes to run cows and it sometimes makes me wonder why the outfit is having a sale anyway.

In respect to depreciation, I prefer fully depreciated assets. As an example our barn which houses saddle horses, serves as a tack room, provides a tractor shed and a workshop was built in 1918 by my Great and Great Great Grandfathers.
 
i use portable corral,but i have 4 different pastures to go to so for me that works best with portable tub and chute
 
RSL said:
We are at a point where we have to replace our handling/sorting setup and working chutes. They are fully depreciated having been originally built by my dad and his dad in the 1950's and patched over time. With the wet year we have had some posts that were 4' deep in the ground that have moved for the first time in many decades.
We are looking at several options, including replacing the existing in the same spot (which has sunk over the years), investing in a steel setup (expensive because we use a long alley, building with conveyor belting and we have been looking at a portable set up.
We use a portable tub and alley for AIing and it works ok, but no one at our place is a fan of crowding tubs, short alleys or squeeze chutes (we have a 75' alley with a headgate that is rarely used.
What do folks that have them think of the portable corral setups like the rawhide, etc. pros/cons? We run right around 150 cows, but are expanding as most of our neighbours are exiting the industry. If we were to invest in a portable setup, it would basically become our only working corrals, other than some electrically fenced paddocks. Also, we do everything on the horse, I don't know if that makes a difference for the corral setups or not.
Also, just to note, each cow spends maybe 4 hours in a corral in the course of a year (branding/prebreeding vacc/synch/AI/pre-weaning)
Thoughts, advice are welcome...
Click to expand...

My advice is worth only what you paid for it...nothing. But there is no replacement for a permanent setup in my opinion.

I only have a rawhide portable corral, and I use a priefert squeeze when the corral is setup in alley mode. We got the second largest rawhide size offered, and it holds about 40-45 cows...they advertise more, but with more than that its difficult to get them into the alley.

Its huge advantage is its portability. We have hurricanes at our place, so we have to be able to load and move when they come, and so the rawhide made sense.

If you dont have the need to move everything from place to place, and you can relatively easily work the cattle into a permanent enclosure, I would spend the money backfilling and rebuilding.

If its working now, dont try to fix it up with something different. The rawhide and other corrals have their place, but in my opinion, if you dont need the portability, your better off with something that you are used to, and is built in place.
 
Kato said:
I would like to know how you vaccinate that many cows in that short a time? That's 27 seconds per cow! :shock: It takes me that long to fill a syringe.
Click to expand...
We don't squeeze every cow. That's what the long alley is for. Pack em in, and run down the chute sub-Q neck needling along the way...
 
RSL; I hear you loud & clear about the mud problems this spring; our corrals are swamps right now.....can't even imagine a feedlot setting! Portables are nice and it is handy to be able to set up panels where needed but it takes time and you rarely have enough to set up a proper working system. I'm considering buying some lighter freestanding panels from Jack Taylor at Melfort (22 footers; 5 ft tall for just under $ 200). Our own cattle are quiet enough that they should be able to work and they can be moved by 2 men by hand if necessary. These will give us some needed extra capacity. That being said we usually save as much processing work as possible for when we can hit the home setup....it's just easier and goes a lot faster. Our headquarter setup works decent but is getting to the point that it also needs a rebuild and some of it needs a re-design. Anything new will be steel as I'm sick of constantly patching planks!
 

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