Taking a tour with my little new machine, I finally was able to see our new alleyway for our new corral. Work has been suspended on the corral… but pieces and parts have arrived including our double alley.
After much debate and discussion, we decided on this setup. It may seem a bit confusing here now, and I will revisit it once it’s in place. As we work cattle, they’re used to going into smaller and smaller alleys until they get to the chute where often, but not always, their heads are caught and they’re held in place.
Newer thinking has it that cattle are more likely to enter an alley beside another cow. So, the new alley allows for that. Two cows will enter. At the end they can take turns going into a single lane.
This short section allows for a single cow to continue into the squeeze chute which will be added onto the end. The walls of these alleys adjust, expanding for bulls or squeezing down for calves. There are also flip up catwalks along the side. It is a pretty nifty setup… trust me!
Find me here!
Keeping the cows calmer seems like a win win.
Looks like a great idea and maybe move things along quicker.
Interesting. Someone has invented a better cow trap.
Very cool!