The day in review, September 27, 2005

[Soapweed]

Here is the morning session:

A professional photgrapher showed up today

My dad, Bob M, and the photographer from New York

Getting ready to corral the cattle

Mrs. Soapweed working hard

Stripped down version (with no back end-gate) of a Prieffert squeeze chute. Works good and is real quiet.

Tools of the trade

Horses on break

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

Soapweed you gave me a start. I was waiting for your picture to download and was reading the captions. One said" Mrs Soapweed working hard" then the next said " Stripped down version" good thing you mentioned the chute in brackets . :shock: :cowboy:

 

[Soapweed]

Afternoon session.

Dinnertime

Hooky-playing hard-working son

Didn't need my hat over my eyes to take a nap

Cute neighbor girl

Drinks are on me

Wore out stirrup. Kind of ashamed, but kind of proud knowing how many get-ons and get-offs it took to have it look this way.

Putting cattle on fresh pasture

Twilight on the pond

 

[Soapweed]

Soapweed you gave me a start. I was waiting for your picture to download and was reading the captions. One said" Mrs Soapweed working hard" then the next said " Stripped down version" good thing you mentioned the chute in brackets . :shock: :cowboy:

Ha ha, I will pass on the information.

 

[Cal]

So is your picture going to be in the New Yorker?

 

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

Im just makin an observation, I've figgered it out, I know why it's so easy for soapweed to pen cattle, Them blue pens if ya just glance at em, have the illusion of being water!!!! hehehe

 

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

Great pictures by the way, n just why do you needa professional photographer comin out, you do a great job all by yerself!!!!!

 

[PPRM]

Those cattle think Pappa Smurf must be there when they see that Blue, LOL.......


Soapweed, I personally know three people that have had broken Femurs sliding a pipe behind a cow. Everyone of them didn't think it could happen to them. It also wasn't very quiet when it happened.


I'm only saying this because I wouldn't want something to happen and think later, Hmmmm, I wonder if me saying something would have prevented this,


PPRM

 

[Soapweed]

Soapweed, I personally know three people that have had broken Femurs sliding a pipe behind a cow. Everyone of them didn't think it could happen to them. It also wasn't very quiet when it happened.

I'm only saying this because I wouldn't want something to happen and think later, Hmmmm, I wonder if me saying something would have prevented this,PPRM

Thanks for the words of warning, PPRM. We don't use an actual metal pipe, instead Saddletramp had the good idea to us a backstop bar made from fiberglass pump rod inside of black PVC pipe. This is strong, quiet, and less hurtful than a steel pipe.

The Prieffert chute had a sliding gate, but we never use the back gate anyway. We could tell the back gate slid out in the open position was just going to be about three feet of obstacle to step around for every calf. I had my welding shop son just cut it off so it wouldn't be in the way.

Back to injuries, I've seen at least one person with a badly broken arm from getting it in the wrong place on a hydraulic set-up. Careful is the word, and we all need to keep it always in mind.

 

[PPRM]

We are totally in agreement on the careful part.........


If the pipe looking contraption is stout enough to keep a 1200 lb cow from backing up, imagine what it could do to a leg????? Maybe I am missing something.....

My wife got mad at me over this issue once. I bought a bull from a guy and asked if we could brand it in his chute by the loadout. As we ran the bull up the alley, a young guy slid a bar behind this bull. He was standing in front of the bar so if it backed up his leg would have been a gonner. The bull got in the chute and I turned to the kid and said, "Don't ever do that again!" The wife said I shouldn't have said it so sternly, but it is something I wanted to stick. The folks that I know wioth broken femurs definetly wish someone would have scared the hell outta them. I will quit by saying that I see the family around your chute a lot, they are the ones at risk. I am not saying the rollgate is the only alternative. I have seen over the back no backs that might be rigged up in this??????? Just a thought.

I'm a big fan of adjustable alleys and Hydraulics. But that is me. The new ones I been around make less noise than the mechanical workings of the chute. I was doctoring cattle in a feedlot by myself and they switched to hydraulic chutes, I went from feeling like I played a football game every day to feeling pretty good. They didn't have adjustable alleys, and I still fought cattle that turned around......Everytime I get ready to run cattle, I adjust our alley and Squeeze Chute width,

PPRM

 

[Jinglebob]

I was told about a system for backstops, that really seems to work well, for me.

You put a removable pipe at intervals, about the length of a cow, in the chute, just as you would to hold them from backing up, but only about a foot off from the ground. Cattle will step ahead, over the pipe, but when they back up and it hits their legs, they stop.

You have to have one for every critter, or the front cows can push a cow behind them, backwards over the top of the pipe. Getting the pipe set at the right hieght is very important.

Also use a chain for a backstop. Cows drop their head and walk under it, but have a hard time backing up when it tightens across their butt.

Neither of these system is fool proof, but I've never seen any other systems that are either! :wink:

I've seen backstops that can hook a cow in the ribs as she is going forward and then the cow in front of her lunges back and the poor ol' cow in the back, really gets some sore ribs.

The pipe deal that is low in the chute works best for those who have a little patience and don't try ramming and jamming. :lol:

Bet it would work for Soapweed and crew. :wink:

 

[George]

Danger is every where and there is no need to tempt fate - - - I don't know the brand of chute I have - - - it cost about $1,000.00 in the mid 1970s and still works great - - - the back gate raises up and drops in behind them - - - - completely out of the way when not needed.

I have always used an oak 2X4 ( several of them ) to stop cattle in the alley leading to the chute - - - I will rethink my actions now even though we have never had a serious injury :?

 

[Soapweed]

What I like about the "plastic" pipe is that in can be put in right behind the critter in the chute. When the headcatch is released, they go right out instead of backing clear up to the endgate. Once they back up to the endgate, they don't want to go forward again to get out of the chute.

We have flop down affairs further back in the runway. The only place we use this pipe, is in the chute itself. Have done it for years, with practiced caution, and it works well. The vet who preg checks for us almost insists that we do it this way. He doesn't want to use a back gate. We use four different corrals and set-ups, and use the same plastic pipe for all conditions.

 

[Liberty Belle]

The nicest fingernail I've got grew back on the finger I smashed grabbing that steel pipe just as the cow jumped backwards into it. Don't think I'll try the treatment for the other nine though. :?

 

[nr]

After reading thru ALL these postings about back gates, front gates, head catches, pipes and injuries- we still don't know why the Big City NY photographer was at Soapweed's! :roll:




All I know is he picked a beautiful ranch to photograph.

 

[sdsu rancher]

I've helped a lot of neighbors work cattle and bison in a variety of alleyway designs. No broken bones yet. I am partial to our Linn curved alley with a dropgate halfway down the alley. We only have to use bars in the home-made chute, but the design is pretty safe. We use a 1 1/2" pipe through a hole on either side of the chute, maybe 2 1/4" big. The bar doesn't pop up, and if I don't get it all the way through before the cow backs up, the bar can only go so far before the sides of the hole stop it. It's not foolproff either, but I have never seen the bar get pushed so far that it could have broken a leg. Now, if I could just keep the bar from getting covered in crap...

That being said, I have helped one neighbor work both cattle and bison through a STUR-D alley with roll-out gates. As long as you have enough help, I think they are the safest and most effective. At our place, Dad and I run cows & yearlings through by ourselves a lot, so the roll- out gates would be a hassle.

 

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

Your absolutely right nr, we are still waitin on a reason why the photographer was there, other than to take pictures..lol

We use a pipe behind the cattle but it's slid in from the outside of the alley, I flat refuse to get in the alley for any reason when there's cows in there. That'd be just askin for it. but we are plannin on putting a slide gate in so that cows can't back up. That will come after we've completed all other parts of our working pens. Also the alley and chute part will be covered, makes for a long day when your workin the squeeze chute and it's 100 degrees out, lil shade goes a long way on days like that.

 

[nr]

Still waitin'. This must be what clothes feel like outside on the line.

'Course- Soapweed's ranch was ALREADY photographed by a Delaware photographer this month.
Craig said maybe if we'd a brought a tripod Soap would've been more impresssed. I wonder if we could send OUR photos to The New Yorker Magazine before the other guy's get there. :wink:

 

[Red Robin]

Soapweed, I personally know three people that have had broken Femurs sliding a pipe behind a cow. Everyone of them didn't think it could happen to them. It also wasn't very quiet when it happened.


I'm only saying this because I wouldn't want something to happen and think later, Hmmmm, I wonder if me saying something would have prevented this,


PPRM

Not trying to be smart here but I would like to ask how. I have always worked cows with a pipe behind them . I guess I don't understand how they hit you In one of my chute they have stops for the pipe , the other doesn't but I can't see it moving over a few inches back. I can see how you get your fingers mashed. I am with soapweed on them backing up in the chute. I usually work them by myself , with out a hotshot and they sure don't want to stick their head in the catch twice.

 

[Mudhen]

All we ever use is steel 1-1/2 pipe and I have had some close call and some that were so close it hurt. I would like some more info Jinglebob on two about pipe at the feet and the one about the chain. The Vet. has a nice set up at his place. It is set up on hyd. cylinders that adjust with the size on the cattle calf or bull. There is about 7 or so U shape pipe that hangs down that will let the cow pass, then it will ride along its back then fall behind her but if she backs up it will not let her pass. I have considered making something like this but can not find time to do it. We need something else that is safer then pipe but this not a risk free business but at the time I am not trying to kill myself.