Cattle Handling Facilities |
| Cattle handling facilities are an essential part of any
cattle operation. If well-built and functional, they contribute much to
the easy, safe and rapid handling of cattle. Good handling facilities
need not be overly expensive. It pays to invest in quality for some of
the critical areas such as pressure treated posts, a good squeeze, and
sturdy gates and latches. Every cattleman's needs and situation is
different. Some can build directly from plan leaflets, others will have
to redesign the handling system to fit their farmsteads and individual
requirements. Design assistance is available from Two-W Livestock
Equipment Ltd. Attention to the ways cattle react, and to the designs we
offer, will help make the operation more successful.
|
Cattle Behavior - Operator Response |
| Handling cattle will be much easier if livestock behavior
is understood. For example, cattle have panoramic vision. Cattle can see all around without turning their heads. This affects their response to their environment and actions of the cattle handler. Other behavior and implications follow.
|
Herd Instinct |
| All species of livestock will follow the leader. This
instinct is strong in cattle. The single file chute should be long
enough to take advantage of this tendency. The minimum length for a
single file chute is 20 ft. (6 m). In larger facilities, 30 to 50 ft. (9
to 15 m) is recommended. Cattle, when isolated, can become agitated and
stressed. When a lone animal refuses to move, the handler should release
it from the crowding pen and bring it back with another group of cattle.
|
Response To Light |
| Cattle are fearful of harsh contrasts of light and dark
around loading chutes, scales and working areas. Illumination should be
uniform and there should be no sudden changes in floor level and
texture. Sunshades, if used over the working, loading and scale area,
should be solid, not slatted. Slatted shades are fine for areas where
the cattle live and feel familiar. However, when coming into handling
areas, they are often nervous and may balk at a slotted sunshade. Cattle
have a tendency to move towards the light. For example, when loading
cattle at night, a frosted light inside the truck positioned so that it
does not glare in their faces can help attract the cattle in. However,
livestock will balk if they have to look directly into the sun. Loading
chutes and squeeze chutes should face either north or south to maximize
sun angle and minimize shadows. Sometimes it is difficult to persuade
cattle to enter a roofed working area, especially in bright sunlight.
Balking will be reduced if the single file chute is extended 10 to 16
ft. (3 to 5 m) outside the building. Animals will enter more easily if
they are lined up single file before they enter a dark building. The
walls of the building should never be placed at the junction between the
single file chute and the crowding pen. A pattern of alternating light
and dark causes cattle to balk, and they refuse to cross a shadow.
Balking can also be caused by a small, bright spot in the chute.
Handlers should be cautious about causing shadows.
|
Response To Movement |
| Cattle will balk if they see a moving or flapping object.
Before moving or loading cattle, walk through the chute and check for
obstructions at the cow's eye level. When cattle are being worked,
handlers should stand back from the headgate so that the approaching
animals cannot see them with their wide-angle vision. One animal that
balks seems to spread its fear to the next animal in line. When an
animal is being moved through a single file chute, do not frustrate the
animal by prodding it before an opening can be seen as a place to go. A
plastic garbage bag attached to a broom handle is a good tool for moving
cattle in pens. The cattle move away from the rustling plastic. When
cattle are being moved, well-trained dogs are recommended for open areas
and large pens. However, once the animals are confined in the crowding
pen and single file chute, do not allow the dogs near the fences where
they can bite the cattle. The sides of the crowding pen, single file
chute and loading chute should be solid. Solid sides prevent the animals
from seeing people, equipment and other outside distractions. The funnel
entrance from the crowding pen to the chute should have one continuous,
straight wall, never a symmetrical funnel. The crowding pen gate works
best with latch-stops at several points in its swing, to help move
animals into the chute with little effort. Cattle in a handling facility
should be able to see other animals along the chute in front of them.
Cattle will balk if a chute appears to be a dead end. Sliding and
one-way gates in the single file chute must be constructed so that the
animals can see through them.
|
Flight Zone |
| When a handler penetrates an animal's flight zone
(Figure
1) , the animal will move away. If the handler penetrates the flight
zone too deeply, the animals will either turn back and run past the
handler, or break and run away. The best place for the handler to work
is on the edge of the flight zone. This will cause the animal to move
away in an orderly manner. The animal may stop moving when the handler
retreats from the flight zone. The size of the flight zone varies,
depending on the tameness or wildness of the animal. The flight zone
radius for range cattle may be as much as 300 ft. (90 m), whereas that
for feedlot cattle may be only 5 to 26 ft. (1.5 to 8 m). The shaded area in (Figure 1) shows the best position for moving an animal. To make the animal move forward, the handier moves into Position B which is just inside the boundary of the flight zone. The handler should retreat to Position A to cause the animal to stop. The solid curved lines indicate the location of the curved single file chute. Many handlers make the mistake of getting too close to the cattle when driving them down an alley or putting them in a crowding pen. If the cattle attempt to rear up or turn back, the handler should back up and retreat from the animals flight zone. During handling, minimize shouting to avoid enlarging the size of the zone.
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General Requirements |
| Dimensions The recommended dimensions for beef cattle handling facilities are shown in Table 1. Safe handling practices for the operator and animals should be a result of these recommendations. |
Table 1
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| Under 600 lb | 600-1200 lb | Over 1200 lb | ||
| Holding Area ----Worked immediately ----Held overnight |
ft.2 per animal |
14 45 |
17 50 |
20 60 |
| Working Chute / Vertical Sides ----Width ----Desirable length (min) |
in. ft. |
18 --- |
22 24 |
28 --- |
| Working Chute /Sloping Sides ----Width at bottom ----Width at 5 ft height ----Desirable length (min) |
in. in.. ft. |
--- --- --- |
22 32 24 |
--- --- --- |
| Working Chute & Feedlot Fences ----Recommended min height ----Depth of posts in ground |
ft. ft. |
--- --- |
5 3 |
--- --- |
| Loading Chute ----Width ----Length (minimum) ----Rise ----Ramp height for: ---- ---- gooseneck trailer ---- ---- pickup truck ---- ---- van type truck ---- ---- tractor trailer ---- ---- double deck |
in. ft. rise:run in. in. in. in. in. |
26 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- |
30-32 12 1:4 15 28 40 48 100 |
32 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- |
| Access or Collecting Alley Width | ft. | --- | 10-12 | --- |
Note: Cow-calf operations use dimensions for over 1200 lb. |
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