Approaches changing for safer livestock handling

Many facilities today include chutes with a ramp for high-loading semi-trucks as well as chutes for loading and unloading a wide variety of ground-loading trailers.
by Frank J. Buchman

Special to The Free Press

The days of excited hollering, bullwhips, long nylon ropes and rodeo-style handling of livestock are long gone.

While that was common place yesteryear, most livestock operators nowadays have developed working pens for improved efficiency, safer and more humane livestock handling.

Whether portable corrals, or elaborate permanent pens, alleys and gates, “Stock­manship is still the most important requirement when doing essential hands-on-management of livestock,” said Joe Harner, K-State agriculture engineer.

“It still boils down to how the livestock is handled,” he said. “A far less than perfect corral will work far better than the best working facilities when there’s excellent stockmanship. That’s the No. 1 priority in handling livestock.”

Har­ner’s practical designs are balanced to improve production efficiency, animal welfare and environmental protection.

“With the major transition in transportation, accom­modations have become essential for loading and unloading cattle from trucks and various kinds of trailers,” Harner verified.

While high-loaded semi-trucks were the most common method of hauling large herds of cattle for decades, that has changed.

“Double-decker trailers are still in use, even though sometimes it’s difficult for cattle to walk up a steep ramp,” Harner said. “So, many more ground-load trailers are now being used.”

Consequently, he has been asked by producers to design working pens so cattle can be loaded and unloaded from high-load semi-trucks as well as ground-load trailers of various types.

Typically, cattle have been released from a working-squeeze chute into one large pen together.

“Facilities are now being designed to sort different types of cattle into different pens,” Harner said. “Whether being sorted for several pastures, pregnancies, weight variation, sick pen, whatever, cattle be separated more efficiently.

“That’s much easier than going back into a large herd to select out certain individuals.”

Many facilities now are designed to sort cattle two, three, even four different ways, Harner added.

Stock owners sometimes resist to invest much in quality corrals that are used a few times during a year.

“Today, we’re designing more multiple-use facilities that serve a purpose for stockmen throughout the year,” Harner said.

While the initial intent might be for processing incoming cattle, or health management, the pens can also serve as sick bay, calving area, youth livestock projects.

“Any number of purposes making a more economical investment for a rancher,” Harner said.

Working facility construction can be expensive, and Harner sees creative stockmen utilizing a variety of materials on hand, or purchased more economically.

“Woven wire, steel driving posts, hedge, more traditional fencing can work well in larger pen areas,” Harner said. “However, tighter confined cattle like those being moved down alleyways put considerable more pressure on fencing. It is essential to build a stronger construction.”

But stockmen are generally in a hurry, and often short on manpower.

“Everything seems to move faster today, and speed is vitally important,” Harner said. “Work really needs to be done more efficiently.

“The best solution to getting a job done faster is often to just slow down. That might sound contradictory, but often when stockmen work slower with livestock, there are fewer problems, and they often end up finishing the work ahead of time.”

Five main areas of a functional working system are shipping/receiving, sorting/holding, crowding, processing, and transition feeding to working area.

Every working facility is unique, with basic components including pens and alleys, palpation cage, squeeze chute, loading chute, working table and scales.

“Cornerstones of a facility are the cattle entrance, loading chute or trailer location and working side of the cattle chute,” Harner said.

Considerations must be given to cattle size and numbers, crowding method, sorting and pens.

“Additional concerns might be hot and cold water, electricity, covered work area, supply room, office and veterinary room,” he noted.

Alleys should be 12- to 14-feet wide for humans, or 14- to 16-feet wide for horses.

“There is safety concern when alleys are less than 10-feet wide,” Harner said.

“Facility stories frequently highlight benefits of curved alleys. However, this is often impractical in small facilities since they’re used to perform multiple functions.”

Recently, debate has surfaced about which of the prominent professional livestock handling innovator-speakers has the better working facility designs, methods, approaches and techniques.

“Still at the core of each of the designs-methods is the desire to handle cattle more safely and effectively in a way that works with the animals’ natural instincts,” Harner said.

Tags from the story
, , , , ,
More from Hillsboro Free Press
Sports Brunch (on demand audio talk show)-June 2
In this Sports Brunch program Marion football and track coach Grant Thierolf...
Read More