46
WORKSHOP TIPS
Make your cattle handling
facilities fast and efficient
With today's testing, injecting and inspection requirements, every cattle farm
needs facilities to enable the work to be done quickly and efficiently.
Here's a home built
handling system which
will cost you peanuts
but which will deliver
real value.
The skills needed are basic
welding and cutting, and there's
the need to concrete in the odd
upright – all of which can be
done by farm staff.
Handling and treating groups
of cattle can either be a rodeo
or a walk in the park. A rodeo
takes time, costs a lot of money
– especially when the vet is
being paid by the minute – and
can, as broadcaster David
Dimbleby recently experienced,
put you in hospital for a few
days.
It all depends on the cattle,
the people doing the job and
the handling facilities you have.
You're stuck with the first two,
they're either wild Limos or
docile Holsteins, and the staff
are either good or not so good
at doing the job. But facilities
can vary from a lash-up of old
pallets to a set-up costing as
much as a good tractor.
I'd like to think that neither
are necessary, and so I bring you
a handling system from a
Durham farm where handling
efficiency is important.
Like other home made designs,
the object of the exercise is to
make something which works
DAIRY FARMER FEBRUARY 2010
Mike
Donovan
Mike is a respected
machinery columnist who
gives us useful tips on
building or modyfying our
own farm equipment. Sign up
for his free newsletter at
www.farmideas.co.uk
Control stop gates – the top one opens back and prevents cattle pushing
there is everything on hand for
inspection, vaccination and
testing. There's even a folddown
desk and the side gate
into the crush and the other folds forward only to prevent reversing. opens for belly clipping. The
30ft long set-up cost less than
easily and which cattle are against the animal in the race to £1000 to build and has proved
comfortable in. This one is made allow it forward into the crush – an essential utility for this farm.
out of standard heavy-walled and the stop makes sure only
2in (75mm) box section, but one goes through at a time. ■ Interested in time and cost-
other materials, including crash The other two are hinged the saving ideas? Subscribe and get
barriers, will work as well. other way, so cattle in the race two recent back issues by
The heart of the set-up is a can't reverse. There's no need sending a cheque for £16.99
standard bought-in yoke, closed for gates to close and open, as (payable MIDO Publications) to:
by pushing down a simple lever cattle are just herded in and Dairy Farmer Offer, PFI,
on the side. Fastened above this there's only one way to go. PO Box 1, Whitland, Carmarthen
is a holder for drenching and, on
the side, a much used set of
electric clippers.
There's no front gate as the
crate opens to an enclosed pen
that captures any which escape –
but few do because the gatekeeper
knows there's really only
one chance.
The clever part is the way the
cattle are lined up in the 5ft
high raceway, which has hinged
stops which control the cattle.
The stop at the front prevents
the one in the race from
pushing on to the one in the
crush, so is hinged to fold back.
When they get to the crush, SA34 0PY.
The yoke door has no front gate to The crush can be emptied and
allow easy access to the cattle. then the stops pushed back Side gate has fold down book rest and opens fully for belly clipping.
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