A well-designed unit speeds up work, which means less time is spent doing routine jobs and it can also mean that one person can carry out work rather than two or more people, which is often the case in poorly designed facilities.

The handling unit featured here is by no means big, but it is very well designed to make handling cattle as easy as possible. The pen is old, but has been upgraded through the years with well thought-out adjustments.

1. Handling area

Picture one shows the small but compact handling area. The height of the walls was increased by fixing bars on top of the side walls.

Getting cattle into a crush can be frustrating, especially if you are working on your own. To combat the difficulty, this setup has gates leading to the crush to make it easier to turn cattle in and preventing them from breaking away.

When cattle are directed towards the crush opening, the gates are closed together. A latch welded on to one gate allows the other to be shut against it and secured solidly, which cuts out the chances of cattle pushing the gates open again.

2. Directing cattle safely

Once these gates are closed, the farmer can direct the cattle into the crush mouth safely from outside the gates.

If the farmer was dealing with one animal and needed to get closer, another shorter gate can be used in the same way to get the animal even closer to the crush mouth without the operator being at risk.

3. Inter-locking gate latch

Where two gates meet in the middle of a yard, an inter-locking gate latch can be very handy.

The latch enables you to lock two gates together and rules out the need for a centre latching pillar. It can be attached to one gate using U-bolts.

At the end of the bolt, a padlock can be latched on for security.

4. Crush entrance gate

The crush entrance gate is controlled by a rope and spring-loaded bar. The farmer can open the gate from the side of the man escape.

When the cattle are moved inside the crush, the gate automatically locks once it is closed against the latch. Again, this is a very safe way of moving cattle into a crush and it makes it easier for a one-man setup.

When building a new crush or upgrading an old one, farmers should always consider erecting a man escape at the side of the crush entrance. The man escape not only allows efficient movement for the operator from one area to another, but it also increases safety.

5. Pedestrian gate

A pedestrian gate at the side of this crush serves two purposes. If cattle are being weighed, the gate is closed across the crush to hold them on the weighing scales long enough for an accurate reading.

If a cow is held in the head gate at the front of the pen, the pedestrian gate can be opened to allow the AI technician to serve her easily.

This crush also has extra bars at the top, which are angled towards the centre of the crush in an effort to prevent cattle rising. Again, this is a safety feature that every farmer should consider adding to their own facilities.

6. Anti-backing gate

A nice feature in this crush is the anti-backing gate. It has a wheel on the side that prevents the bar digging into the side of the animal if it decides to reverse on its way through.

The anti-backing gate can be fitted to the side panel of an existing crush using U-bolts.

Again, for a one-man operation, it makes it easier and safer to move an animal towards the headgate in the crush.

7. Semi-automatic crush gate

At the front of the pen, there is a semi-automatic crush gate. The neck width is adjustable to suit different-sized animals.

Head gates are essential for suckler herds, especially where AI is being carried out. A semi-automatic gate is ideal for a one-man operation because they don’t have to be in two places at one time.

Head scoops are becoming increasingly popular now. The main purpose of the head scoop is to make dosing easier, which is a very difficult task with a continental suckler herd.

The scoop also makes tagging easier where an adult animal might have lost a tag and needs retagging, because the animal’s head is held securely.

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