Cattle Squeeze Chute

[cjc]

Our little cattle operation is growing and we need a better way of handling our cows. We have a chute but it is in a pasture we don't like using for our cows. So we need another option.

We need an option for treating any of our "big mamas" if the need comes up. Most are friendly but we have a wild black angus who is not keen on us getting too close. Our biggest girl is about 1,800lbs. We have been put on to this squeeze chute:


http://www.behlencountry.com/index.aspx?ascxid=behlenCatalogProduct&i=614


It says its good for small operations but does anyone have any experience with a piece of equipment like this? The heavier duty one is twice the price $8,000 compared to this one for $4,000. Under technical specs it says weight is 1,000lbs. Any idea if this would be a good buy for us? If it cant handle our big mamas then my gut says buy the $8,000 one or don't get one at all. Thoughts?

 

[Azriel]

cjc, where about are you. Around here that would be called maternity pen. They are very useful and if it has the self catching head gate one person can work the cows. Here you can get them at most farm/ranch supply stores for around $2500. I would say check around and look at other brands also.

 

[WildRoseBeef]

That's not a squeeze chute, cjc, sorry. That's just a maternity pen (@Azriel it would be called the same thing up here [cjc's in BC, Canuckville btw, just a neighbour to the west of me across the Rockies]), and not something that is used for working or treating cattle. It's not as robust as a good squeeze chute is (and a bit of a pain to try to catch and corner a cow to get her head in the head gate, but it's good to catch a cow who's got a calf stuck and needs help), and a lot slower to use to handle cattle when they need to be worked. Something like that will cause more stress in the animals than running them through a handling facility going from the pen to the crowding tub (or "bud box"), to the working alley and on into the squeeze. Especially if you already have a cow that's difficult to handle.

You need something like this: http://www.behlencountry.com/index.aspx?ascxid=behlenCatalogProduct&i=629

Or this: http://www.tuff.bz/livestock-handling-systems/squeezechute.html

Now THOSE are what you call squeeze chutes. There's a lot of brands to choose from so it depends on what's available, price, durability, and what's recommended. My personal favourites are Tuff, Cattle Master (http://www.cattlemaster.ca/chutes.php), and Morand. Other brands include Powder River (I think it's mostly American), Priefert, Hi-Hog, Lakeland, W-W, Sioux Steele (exact same as Tuff), and others. A good squeeze will cost you less than a maternity pen. Range is from around $6000 to I guess $2500, though $2500 is pretty cheap IMHO for a chute, however legit if the chute is made of lighter materials and is made for processing a small herd, unlike the ones with heavier material. Of course, you'll usually pay more for one at a farm/ranch supply store than at an auction.

 

[Azriel]

I agree they are not the same as a squeeze chute, but it sounded like cjc did not have all the facility's for working cattle. If you don't have the crowding tubs and alleys to get the cows to the chute, then the maternity pen works well for a small herd of easy to work cows.

 

[cjc]

@WildRoseBeef @Azriel Thanks so much for the help ladies!

I have a few more questions. I know this isn't a true squeeze chute but we thought we could use the maternity pen for that.

We like the Behlen Country brand because we have a bunch of corral panels that we can use and they all can be locked together with other pieces from that brand. Our thought was that we could configure something similar to a bud box out of our corral panels and it would all be portable. We thought we could just use the head gate in the maternity pen as sort of a makeshift squeeze chute as you are right @Azriel we don't have all the facilities for working with cattle. But now after what you ladies have said I question if we should just buy the squeeze chute instead. The middle grade one from Behlen country is $3,300 so still less than the maternity pen. But I have the question...can you use a head gate without a chute? Do people do that? Or am I better off just using my corral panels to build my bud box to get them into the squeeze chute?

Most of our cows are easy to work with but I have a really wild black angus heifer and I plan to breed her for many years to come. And she is just not coming around! Crazy blood pumps through their veins. I need a solution that can work with our passive girls and also our wild ones.

 

[cjc]

Sorry one more question. It says the capacity is 1,000lbs. Is that legit? Our girls are well over that.

 

[Azriel]

You can use a head gate with out the squeeze chute, but you do have to have it attached to something solid, like 2 rail road ties buried 3'- 4' in the ground then you could make something out of your portable panels. I'm not sure about the weight capacity, it would be best to ask a company rep about that.
I have a small squeeze chute works great for yearlings and small cows, but I have some big cows 1500+ lbs. and I just make a portable panel alley that I run the big cows in and they just stand there if I put a bar behind them. I would like this http://www.tuff.bz/livestock-handling-systems/portable-handling-systems-2.html
You also might want to think twice about keeping a really wild cow if she just won't calm down after you've had her a while, they can end being much more trouble than they're worth especially of you have a smaller operation on smaller acreage that you need to interact with them on a daily basis.

 

[cjc]

@Azriel thanks! We are looking into a similar handling system right now to go along with our maternity pen or squeeze chute. I'll post a picture once we have it all and its all set up!

 

[WildRoseBeef]

cjc, might I suggest you draw it out on paper first before putting the panels up? I know it seems like a minor inconvenience, but trust me when the plans are drawn up on paper it's a bit better to see if the system is going to work or not.

Then again, you won't know if it REALLY works until you run the cows through!!

 

[cjc]

Yes we have actually been doing that. I'll post some pics once we have it all set up.

But yes we will see what happens when the cows are moving through it. But anything is better than me cornering them against a fence haha. It's ok when they are calves and small but god do they grow fast!