Jinglebob
Well-known member
Mudhen said: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.
I don't know if I can explain it any better.
The pipes are put thru' holes in the side of the chute so that they are about 1 foot off from the ground. If you have several different heights of holes, just sightly forward of the last one and the next one, you could adjust height for different sizes of cattle. It would look like a huge long ladder in the bottom of the chute and the cattle step over the rungs of the ladder. The rungs would be about the same distance apart as the length of a cow or yearling. Hope that makes it clearer than mud!
The chain at the back end of the chute is hung from both sides of the chute and loops down and set in such a way as to make it adjustable. Lower for yearlings and higher for cows. Cattle walk under it and then it falls behind them and persuades them to move forward, when they back up.Once in awhile one will stick their heads over the top and stop the flow, but if given time, most will figure it out.
Both of these work best when you don't hurry the cattle down the chute. Oh and they both would start about the length of a cow, inside the chute, so that a critter can walk all the way in before encountering one or the other and then the cow behind works as a backstop.
I did install a conventional backstop this year, but it doesn't seem to work any better and maybe not as good as the pipe at the feet or the chain hanging down.
Hope this helps. If not, pm me and I will give you my phone number and we can talk.