vet insisting on crush adjustment

tomieen jones

My vet is strongly recommending a concrete
walk way along the crush which I think could be dangerous for an animal flipping over! Also could see them using this as a step to mount each other! Any advise?

tomieen jones

greysides wrote: »

Few animals will flip over but a high step would they make it awkward for a mature animal to get up. A smaller may manage it easily enough. They don't generally step up on it. It does help keep some of the spatters in the crush and off your face and clothes.
Nonetheless, for my height I prefer to work off the same level as the animals themselves and have a particular hate for the high steps which murder my back at testing.

true enough thinking back I have never had a big animal flip over usually just the odd calf!

Base price

We don't have a walkway on either crush and tbh never intend on putting one in.
We help a neighbour (older gentleman) with dosing etc and he has one along the crush. Handier for catching and dosing larger cattle as you are over them but a pain in the ass for weanlings and calves. Your back would be broken from bending down to dose or inject younger animals plus the fact that I think you are more in danger as your balance is offset as you are leaning over.

Genghis Cant

I remember handling cattle in a crush with a row of 6" blocks on their flat as a gangway. So you gain 6" in height but could whip them out if need be.

GreaseGunner

We have one that's about 3 feet high running the length of the crush. Being up that bit higher makes it very handy for dosing or that. Can't see any real disadvantage to it only that it's an imovable object if an animal is caught in the crush I suppose, which is a whole different story in itself :D

jimini0

We have a crush up against a shed wall its only a small set up. 3 cows at a time. But when I was replacing it a couple of years ago I welded on cleats from scaffolding onto the upright poles. I slot a one board out rigger into it. It gives us a 8 inch wide and high step to be that much above the animals. And if anything happens you can just lift the planks out and you have access. I'll take a picture later for ye. The vet though it was a great idea

patsy_mccabe

A removable walkway is the best, I think. I've seen animals flip back on their backs. Saw it in the mart a few times and took a long time to get them back again. Most marts dont' have a way of lifting an animal either. No way of getting a tractor and loader in to most.

mf240

You could just get a different vet. One the right height for your crush.!

signinlate

Tell him to wear heels:)

Milked out

Can't stand a raised walkway beside crush, bending over the whole time with it, prefer being same level as cattle.

yellow50HX

Yeah, had a vet cribbing in the uncles place a few years ago but then he was 5-4 and my uncle is 6-4, uncle told him to bring a step ladder.

Have been thinking of putting a drop down step alright as it would be useful for some jobs but I prefer to be have it flush at ground level.

Bullocks

yellow50HX wrote: »

Yeah, had a vet cribbing in the uncles place a few years ago but then he was 5-4 and my uncle is 6-4, uncle told him to bring a step ladder.

Have been thinking of putting a drop down step alright as it would be useful for some jobs but I prefer to be have it flush at ground level.

I'm a short arse and have a 18" concrete platform along the crush the only disadvantage is trying to pull up a head for dosing but I have no bother working without a platform either.
I'm often asked do I want a crate when I'm doing low down stuff at work haha!

tomieen jones

Bullocks wrote: »

I'm a short arse and have a 18" concrete platform along the crush the only disadvantage is trying to pull up a head for dosing but I have no bother working without a platform either.
I'm often asked do I want a crate when I'm doing low down stuff at work haha!

Cattle over the last 20 years have bred bigger
we added an extra bar height to the crush
So a step would be handy for reaching over the top bar! Is the shuttering is the bigger job than the concrete

jimini0

It wont let me upload photos of my removable step.

Bullocks

tomieen jones wrote: »

Cattle over the last 20 years have bred bigger
we added an extra bar height to the crush
So a step would be handy for reaching over the top bar! Is the shuttering is the bigger job than the concrete

I did it in blocks that were left over from the shed and plastered it ( filled in the middle with bits of waste ) .
Shuttering it wouldn't be a big job , it would only be two planks high for an 18" step . Depending on the width and length it could take a nice bit of concrete for just a step though

Farmer Pudsey

Bullocks wrote: »

I did it in blocks that were left over from the shed and plastered it ( filled in the middle with bits of waste ) .
Shuttering it wouldn't be a big job , it would only be two planks high for an 18" step . Depending on the width and length it could take a nice bit of concrete for just a step though

I did it with blocks as well. Two rows. filled middle with rubble/stone. two inches of mortor type concrete on top. If I ever have to remove a few belts of a hammer will get rid of most of it.

A step is very handy when injecting cattle. Bend over animal and inject him on the far side. When he kicks, he kicks the wall on the far side not your ankle or leg.:p

CloughCasey1

Our crush has a 6" step for good footing really more than anything else. We have girders every 6' with heavy duty double latch gates. If an animal goes down all we need to do is open gates and makes life very easy just to turn him out.

jimini0

Here is my removable step. Its copyrighted and patent pending.

TITANIUM.

jimini0 wrote: »

Here is my removable step. Its copyrighted and patent pending.

I love the tasty job you did with the hole in the wall on the far side to put in a bar behind the first animal. Like something that I'd do myself. Did those brackets even take a lump outta a fellas shin if the planks are off?

jimini0

TITANIUM. wrote: »

I love the tasty job you did with the hole in the wall on the far side to put in a bar behind the first animal. Like something that I'd do myself. Did those brackets even take a lump outta a fellas shin if the planks are off?

If the planks are off the brackets have to go too. I have a picture somewhere of the damage those do to a shin.
No fancy anti-backing bars here. Cavity block shed so just punched a hole in block