The use of a crowding or force pen to funnel cattle into the working race is recommended. We recommend a mob size for a forcing pen is eight to ten animals. Force pens that hold up to twenty are not recommended.
For construction of a force pen, using straight fences, build one side of the crowding pen straight. The other side should be at an angle of about 30⁰ with the large end of the funnel approximately 3.5 to 4m wide. Although it is more difficult to build a circular crowding pen or force pen with solid sides, this undoubtedly work better in most situations if possible.
You can purchase a variety of pre-built crowding or forcing pens from cattle-handling providers.
While there may be several gates in a cattle yard that benefit from being solid sided, a gate in the crowding pen or force pen will benefit the most. A solid-sided gate will encourage animals to seek an alternative escape route in the race rather than trying to turn around.
Without a doubt, rough concrete surfaces throughout a cattleyard are the ideal solution. However, this is not always economically feasible. You may wish to consider using concrete in the high-traffic areas such as the forcing pen, race and crush area with other pens being metalled to provide a good working surface.
Ideally a drenching race should be at least 9m long. Shorter races may be suitable in yards where small numbers are being handled. However, a short race can cause delays in getting cattle to a working area. If you normally work cattle by yourself, the race should be able to hold at least three animals for efficient labour utilisation. You may find a divider in the race is useful to prevent the cattle from backing up.
The width of the race ideally depends on the size of animals being handled. Normally a race would be between 650-750mm wide for small- to medium-frame cows. For a dedicated race for calves, 450mm is considered ideal.
Fitting a race with solid sides can greatly enhance the flow of cattle forward. Solid, curved races keep the cattle from seeing the working area until they are a short distance away. Avoid sharp bends that look like a dead end to the cattle.
It is important to remember that cattle tend to move uphill easier than downhill. If there is too much slope, point the race uphill. Cattle also tend to move best from dark areas to light areas. Facility layouts should be designed so that cattle do not look directly into the sun.
Posts in the working race area can receive a lot of pressure from cattle. It is important to use strong materials to prevent bowing or breaking.
When building your race it is important to consider the side from which the handler will be working on the animals. It most situations, it is more than adequate to have the top rail on the working side approximately 1.4m high, with the railings on the outside of the race 1.6 – 1.8m high. This allows a handler to work on young stock from the walkway beside the race without straining his/her back.
Loading cattle onto stock trucks on trailers is an important function of any cattle yard system. Generally cattle move better if they are shifted directly from the forcing pen to the loading chute, or drafted off from early in the drenching race to the loading area.
It is important that the loading ramp has strong cleats to provide a sure footing for cattle as they go up or down the ramp. It is also recommended that the sides of the ramp are fully sheeted up to 600-700 mm high. This prevents any chance of a hoof slipping out the side and causing injury to the animal. It also helps to keep the light out from the floor area of the ramp. As cattle generally go up or down a ramp with their heads down, it is important that there are no cracks of light in the floor or in the lower half of the sides as these could spook the cattle.
The health-care of any herd of cattle is almost impossible without a headbail. It is often considered the yard’s most important feature and is commonly known as a head lock, head gate or chute. The headbail should be sturdy, safe, easy to operate and have a quiet action. Mostly, headbails are manually operated, however, pneumatic and hydraulic operations are available. In general terms there are two types of headbails available; self-catching and full-opening.
Self-catching headbails can be adjusted accommodate to animals of different sizes. Self-catching headbails (automatic headbails) have vertical double doors that swing in to squeeze automatically when the animal moves. This kind of gate is intended for gentle cattle. Do not use it for wild or horned cattle or in large handling situations. Head and shoulder injuries are possible if animals slam into a self-catching gate. With most designs of self-catching headbails, the headbail can be adjusted to suit different sizes of animals.
Full-opening headbails are more appropriate for a group of mixed-sized cattle because they seldom need adjustment. The doors normally move on tracks from a closed to an open position. As with the self-catching headbails, the full-opening design is normally manually controlled. However, pneumatic and hydraulic operation of these headbails is becoming more common and popular for large operations or where there is constant heavy use.
No matter what type of headbail you select, it is important that it is fitted correctly, adjusted properly and maintained to ensure safe and easy operation.
In New Zealand and Australia the most commonly used term is cattle crush. This is simply a crate that holds or restrains cattle for treatment and weighing.
Cattle crushes have evolved substantially over the last two decades. Today’s cattle crush is effectively a headbail, a weigh crate and vet access combined in one versatile, strongly constructed unit. As a result, it has become a very efficient and practical tool for most cattle farmers.
There is a wide range of options available on cattle crushes, and their application depends on the type of farming operation. Some of the common features include:
When considering the purchase of a cattle crush, it is important to consider some of the following features:
A cattle crush is generally more expensive than a headbail but gives you a lot of control over the animal. It is difficult to build a headbail or crush that works as well as those that are commercially available. Some new crush designs allow easier access to the neck region, and a vet compartment at the back of the crush is a common option. This allows the vet or handler to enter the crush behind the retained cow for jobs such as pregnancy testing, calving etc.
Weighing is a very important operation for any efficient cattle farmer. There are two common methods of weighing cattle:
It is common to draft the cattle based on decisions from the weight records. In most situations a drafting gate beyond the weighing zone is the most efficient method. This allows for one animal to be exiting the weighing zone while another one can be entering. Some weigh crates/crushes have the ability to draft directly out of the side of the crush. This is both efficient and space-saving.
Overall, it is important that the weight records are used in order to maximize your cattle production. Weigh scales are essential for testing performance, evaluating gains and determining sale weights. Always plan for the inclusion of a weigh scale when you design a cattle-handling facility. Such planning should make it easier and less expensive to add the weigh scale later without too much interference in work activity.
Strong gates with easily operated latches are one of the most important safety features of any cattle-handling facility. Whenever possible, locate gates in the corners of pens or in another convenient place where it is natural for cattle to come together. Gates that are used to sort cattle and bring them into a holding pen do not need to have solid sides but they do need to be sturdy. It is important that you study the way your gates are going to swing.
In some situations, where cattle are exiting the yards, it is best for the gate to swing in the direction of travel. However, for gates between pens it is commonly safer and easier to open the gate into the pen you are transferring out of. In this case, it is necessary for the gate to be able to open 180⁰ back onto the railing behind it.
Above all else, a good latch that is self-locking is recommended for all gates.
© 2016 Cattle Yard Designs
