loading pen

After seeing the thread on loading heifers, I'll share my thoughts and experience on loading facilities:

Loading pen and chutes should be about 6 1/2 feet high. The welded 1/4 rod corral panels which come in 16 foot lengths are fine, but must be topped by 2 x 6 boards to bring height up to 6 feet. I had sone 1 1/2 oak boards sawed which work well as long as they are knot free boards. The chute should be made of all boards. Making a chute out of plywood so that the cows can't see through cracks should be ideal, haven't tried it. Loading from a barn with the trailer on the outside works fine, when the cows see the outside light they head for it thinking they are getting out. The chute should have a bend or bends in it so the cows can't see the end until they have been going some distance so they think the path is clear until it is too late. The chute should have a sorting gate in it so you can divert cows you don't want to load.

Boards in the pen should be fastened to posts with lag bolts at least 5/16 in diameter. Length depends on thickness of board and how good a fit to the post can be arranged. It would be nice to take posts to sawmill and get one side sawed smooth. Commercial treated posts are smooth enough. If you cut your own posts, the kind of suitable trees varies over different parts of the country and I won't try to list them.

Pen should be located at a traffic way between 2 pastures, ideally, so the cows will be used to passing through the pen. Also ideal would be to
have the pen large enough to hold all the herd with a smaller loading pen and crowding gate.

There are 3 basic ways to get cows to come into
a pen, feed, salt, and water. Getting the cows used to being fed with no excitement gets most cows to come in the pen. Placing a salt block in the pen, then removing it for a few days, then putting it back in a day or two before trying to load helps. If the only source of water is in the pen, sooner or later they will have to come to it.

One final trick: Have 2 entrances to the pen, with one entrance in the loading chute with a gate that can be left open or closed to the outside with an opening left to the rest of the chute. When the cows see you coming to clost the main gate, they will try to leave by the gate in the chute which is now closed and sending them to the trailer. In extreme cases, park the trailer at the loading chute a few days ahead to get them used to it being there. I would unhook the truck, not trusting the cows not to damage the truck. It can be interesting to hook the truck back up though.

KEH

Dad always used 2 working dogs and a gate - never had a problem.

I dont have cattle but it sounds like you are very knowledgeable. I enjoyed reading that!

I've no problem with anything you posted, but in my case: we quit using any type chute (either ramp or ground level) when we quit hauling in bob-trucks and started using goosenecks...........in 1970. I've loaded tens of thousands head of cattle and just run 'em into the trailers right out of the pen, preferably with the rear gate(s) on the trailers wide open.

The idea of the chute having a bend in it is a good workable idea. Seems to me the cattle, or hogs, for that matter, have too much time to think if they have to walk down a long straight alley or chute where they can see the end. When we loaded cattle and hogs out of the barn they had to make an abrupt 90 degree turn to get in the loading chute. They were up the chute and in the truck before they had time to think about where they were. This especially made it easier for loading hogs. I couldn't get them up the chute no matter how much I cussed at them if I tried to run them straight down the alley to the chute. They would get to the chute and stop and try to turn back. Then I changed the holding pen location so they went out the pen opening, made an abrupt right turn, and were in the chute before they knew what was happening. Made for a lot cleaner language and a lot less loading time. When we quit loading trucks and went to goosenecks life got a lot easier.Jim

Those are some good ideas for anyone building a loading pen.
I would like to add one of my own that I always considered unnessary to point out. That is until I came out to admire new pens my brother had just finished. First thing I noticed when I arrived was 18 inch long post cut offs lieing beside the 6 foot fences. That corral was the subject of heated discussion for years when another animal managed to climb over it. If your posts are a little long,don't rush to cut them off,you just may later decide fence height needs raised.

Hard to beat good facilities when handling cattle. But I remember what my Dad told me one time when I was having trouble getting some heifers in the barn for artificial insemination. He said "the first thing you have to do is show them you are smarter then they are". Been 35 years ago, never forgot it (lol)

Apologies. Forgot to mention the width of the loading chute. 2 feet usually is the proper width, but is sometimes narrow for large cows and bulls. I wouldn't go over 2 1/2 feet. Posts can be put in the ground at an angle to make the chute more narrow at the bottom. Seems like there is always a couple of posts that, after a few years, lean in at the top, making it necessary to put spreader bars at the top. I know, if I were organized I would put the bars at the top to begin with.

KEH

good ideas,wouldnt last one day on my place but good for tame cattle.LOL just fooling, but I got to have something more substantial than hog panels. they do work for keeping calves from getting their head between the rails. best pen ive seen or used was made out of hyway gaurd rails. solid row of them up four foot high ,a gap about six inches,another row,a gap about 10 inches then another on top!loading/working chute needs to be at least 7,8ft high is better,built solid with a walk rail around ouside. braced accross the top at each set of post and preferably with a top on it so cattle will see light at the end of the tunnel so to speak.crowd gates to work cattle ,they will stomp all over a person.No reason to even get in the pen with them if its built right.where you work cattle from makes all the difference in the world.get right behind one and you better like being kicked in the shins,get above and behind one and you can make it go anywhere. Of course this is if your really working come what may cattle,bulls,calves and all. I had one bull that would load anywhere day or night if you just opened the back of the trailer.shot another that would hunt you down if you got out of the truck and he just wasnt blowing snot,shot him between the eyes from the drivers seat and made hamburger.. a whole lot depends on the cattle as to what type of pens you need. you got a thousand head, and a weekend to work them in you had better have a pen you can push them thru. a few head thats used to being walked around just about anything will work, trouble is those are often the ones that hurt you.cant never have enough pen in my opinion.

built mine 3 ft. wide. Amazing to see a 9 ft. bull turn around in 3 ft space!