Need cheap & cheerful idea

KatyMac

I have a basic headgate at the end of crush, grand for bigger cattle but how do you stop little brats of calves getting stuck?
Was putting in a couple of cows to replace tags and a calf nipped in ahead of her mother and tried to get out the headgate. Needless to say she got stuck at the hips and we spent a good bit of time stuffing her back through the gap. She is very quiet and didn't struggle so didn't get hurt or anything, but I've been trying to think of a way to stop something like this happening again. Ideas please and keep in mind I'm not very DIY ish!

Kovu

How's the set up behind your crush?

If we want to run up cows and not calves we split them up, cows go into pen behind the crush and let the calves out of the pen into the bales area of the shed.

blue5000

OP any chance of a photo? Ours opens where they stick their heads out, so if a calf gets stuck it's just a matter of opening the head gate.

Genghis Cant

KatyMac wrote: »

I have a basic headgate at the end of crush, grand for bigger cattle but how do you stop little brats of calves getting stuck?
Was putting in a couple of cows to replace tags and a calf nipped in ahead of her mother and tried to get out the headgate. Needless to say she got stuck at the hips and we spent a good bit of time stuffing her back through the gap. She is very quiet and didn't struggle so didn't get hurt or anything, but I've been trying to think of a way to stop something like this happening again. Ideas please and keep in mind I'm not very DIY ish!

We've stuck the odd one in ours too. Caught between the hips and the ribs. We try combat it by adjusting the gate so as not to allow the cattles front shoulder through it. There's 2 adjustments on ours. The restraining bars each side and the angle they open. Try adjusting it and see would it work better maybe?

KatyMac

.Kovu. wrote: »

How's the set up behind your crush?

If we want to run up cows and not calves we split them up, cows go into pen behind the crush and let the calves out of the pen into the bales area of the shed.

Little divil nipped in ahead of the cow. Me was too slow to stop her. but even when I'm dosing the calves I get OH to stand at the head end to stop this happening

KatyMac

blue5000 wrote: »

OP any chance of a photo? Ours opens where they stick their heads out, so if a calf gets stuck it's just a matter of opening the head gate.

It's a basic manual gate. Calf went through beside the gap where the head goes not the bit that adjusts to tighten around the beast's neck.

KatyMac

Genghis Cant wrote: »

We've stuck the odd one in ours too. Caught between the hips and the ribs. We try combat it by adjusting the gate so as not to allow the cattles front shoulder through it. There's 2 adjustments on ours. The restraining bars each side and the angle they open. Try adjusting it and see would it work better maybe?

If the calf goes the wrong side of the bar it closes as if around a neck, but calf is doing the closing (it's awful hard to describe properly). I'll try and get a pic tomorrow.

on the river

KatyMac wrote: »

If the calf goes the wrong side of the bar it closes as if around a neck, but calf is doing the closing (it's awful hard to describe properly). I'll try and get a pic tomorrow.

So you mean the calf push the gate close

tanko

I just put a 200 litre plastic barrel at the front of the crush, it stops the calves from getting through the gate.

Farmer

I presume that you're talking about a manual gate with one moving bar.

Here's my 2 cents

Replace the bolt at the bottom with some sort of pin that can be removed in an emergency.

Get into the habit of checking that the bar is always set to the right side before letting any animal up the crush.

If you really feel you must do something about it, it is possible to weld an additional light bar or plate on to the moving bar so that it blocks the space on the wrong side of the bar. It needs to be welded to the front or back so that it slides over the other gate bars. Personally, I wouldn't do it as it could create another hazard greater than the one you are trying to avoid. Stick with points 1 & 2 and the blue barrel if necessary

Reggie.

I had same issue. And used these plastic sheets on the gates. Could you cable tie sections like these over the gaps that need blocking

Greengrass1

Reggie. wrote: »

I had same issue. And used these plastic sheets on the gates. Could you cable tie sections like these over the gaps that need blocking

I they old lift arm eyes on the gate?

Reggie.

Greengrass1 wrote: »

I they old lift arm eyes on the gate?

Close. Got an old railing and the bars passed through them eyes horizontal if ya know what I mean. There was two eyes on each vertical bar

Muckit

A very strong crush there.

have you another bit of that stuff? Use it to sheet the top part of that headgate. It looks lethal the way it is. A beast could easily get their head stuck and hang themselves.

Reggie.

Muckit wrote: »

A very strong crush there.

have you another bit of that stuff? Use it to sheet the top part of that headgate. It looks lethal the way it is. A beast could easily get their head stuck and hang themselves.

Looking at changing the end gate as a whole but so far never came near harming a beast thank god

KatyMac

Reggie. wrote: »

I had same issue. And used these plastic sheets on the gates. Could you cable tie sections like these over the gaps that need blocking

That looks like a plan, thanks! I can just about manage a couple of cable ties!