Where to get a Drafting Gate?

Dickie10

Hi im just looking for a drafting gate for sheep that can be used in a crush, or one that can be hooked on to the drop pin hurdles, badly need one of these to take the labour out of seperating sheep. does anyone know where i can get one seperately, without havving to buy a full sheep race?

jmrc

make one up.... took me half a morning with the welder and some scrap metal lying around... very handy... its just like the race that has a gate in it that opens into the race...
stole the idea....
just need to paint it now...

razor8

Bought a 2 way drafter off wh Jenkinson in Armagh a few years ago for around £110 that fitted in with existing lambing gates I had
I would think you could get one from any sheep handling supplier individually

Jack180570

Dickie10 wrote: »

Hi im just looking for a drafting gate for sheep that can be used in a crush, or one that can be hooked on to the drop pin hurdles, badly need one of these to take the labour out of seperating sheep. does anyone know where i can get one seperately, without havving to buy a full sheep race?

This one looks like the biz...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XPufDjTfY8

Green farmer

Jack180570 wrote: »

This one looks like the biz...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XPufDjTfY8

The pratley stuff is the buzz alright. Think their ordinary 5ft gates ( aluminium ) are €130 each compared to every ones else's ( steel ) €30 - €40, so you can imagine the cost of that type of gear.

Jack180570

Green farmer wrote: »

The pratley stuff is the buzz alright. Think their ordinary 5ft gates ( aluminium ) are €130 each compared to every ones else's ( steel ) €30 - €40, so you can imagine the cost of that type of gear.

Yep, think you would need a very big flock to justify that kind of gear...:rolleyes:

ganmo

Jack180570 wrote: »

This one looks like the biz...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XPufDjTfY8

Set it going then go off for a cuppa!
Could ya imagine!

rangler1

Green farmer wrote: »

The pratley stuff is the buzz alright. Think their ordinary 5ft gates ( aluminium ) are €130 each compared to every ones else's ( steel ) €30 - €40, so you can imagine the cost of that type of gear.

That scales was €7500 6 years ago, a neighbour has one, A compressor works it. some job

Jack180570

ganmo wrote: »

Set it going then go off for a cuppa!
Could ya imagine!

haha, would be brilliant!

We must buy some kind of weighing crate soon.. we have gone EID and have weighed all the lambs when they were born so now want to follow it up with weighing and scanning the tags so we have the birth to 6 wks and to weaning weights etc.

Not sure what to buy... as in the weighing is just one aspect of the management whereas the 'bigger' aspect is the handling for dosing and footbathing etc.. Flock is around 220 ewes and would keep about 120 of the ewe lambs to yearling stage when I would sell around half of them.

Any suggestions/ideas of what I should buy... money not very plentiful but am very committed to the EID recording so as to improve the breeding..

Jack180570

rangler1 wrote: »

That scales was €7500 6 years ago, a neighbour has one, A compressor works it. some job

Wow...

rangler1

Jack180570 wrote: »

Wow...

We have the scales part, without the automatic drafting, cost three grand four years ago but very happy with it. there;s no noise or rattling which helps the lambs go in very easy, we weigh lambs regularily and they really fly through it when they get going, we didn't use EID tags, just punched in the nos manually up till now but we have EID tags in them this year so it'll be easier again with the reader

Jack180570

rangler1 wrote: »

We have the scales part, without the automatic drafting, cost three grand four years ago but very happy with it. there;s no noise or rattling which helps the lambs go in very easy, we weigh lambs regularily and they really fly through it when they get going, we didn't use EID tags, just punched in the nos manually up till now but we have EID tags in them this year so it'll be easier again with the reader

If its ok to ask... how many ewes do ye have... just trying to get an idea of what scale justifies investing in a good weighing setup..
Does that mean that you will have to buy a trutest weigh head along with the reader to make it work with the EID weighing?
If so.. any idea of cost?

This lad has 1500 sheep with a 5 way drafter and weigher
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvlXVK3TRWQ

rangler1

Jack180570 wrote: »

If its ok to ask... how many ewes do ye have... just trying to get an idea of what scale justifies investing in a good weighing setup..
Does that mean that you will have to buy a trutest weigh head along with the reader to make it work with the EID weighing?
If so.. any idea of cost?

This lad has 1500 sheep with a 5 way drafter and weigher
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvlXVK3TRWQ

the €3000 price included the tru test 3000, we have a hand held reader that works with it and our computer, so we could've done eid weighing all along but couldn't justify the extra euro per tag for 750 lambs.
we keep about 500 ewes

Jack180570

rangler1 wrote: »

the €3000 price included the tru test 3000, we have a hand held reader that works with it and our computer, so we could've done eid weighing all along but couldn't justify the extra euro per tag for 750 lambs.
we keep about 500 ewes

Fair play rangler, thats a big flock... I suppose we went for the EID tagging to help keep records for the organics and also with the programme, after a couple of years of data you can select replacements from the best ewes... the ewes that produced the most kgs of lamb over a number of years...

We are down in West Limerick... im guessing you did a bit of pricing etc before buying the crate and trutest... who should I go to to buy?

Also for handling/dosing, we use a crush at the moment... what do you use? Saw a conveyor type of system for dosing and it looked good...

rangler1

Jack180570 wrote: »

Fair play rangler, thats a big flock... I suppose we went for the EID tagging to help keep records for the organics and also with the programme, after a couple of years of data you can select replacements from the best ewes... the ewes that produced the most kgs of lamb over a number of years...

We are down in West Limerick... im guessing you did a bit of pricing etc before buying the crate and trutest... who should I go to to buy?

Also for handling/dosing, we use a crush at the moment... what do you use? Saw a conveyor type of system for dosing and it looked good...

Dosing in a race, put them through first to take out the ewes and then put in the lambs, have a 20ft race but only use 10ft for young lambs, lambs are less time in the race, they seem t keep backing until they have one killed at the back if we use the whole 20ft.
we just dug a 10ft by12 ft by 9 ins deep and lined it with 3ins concrete for a foot bath, much much easier to get lambs into as they re draged in by the ewes,
they'll just run in a few ft into a footbath in the race, turn and run back out.
Got the prattley scales from o'donovan engineering in cork somewhere...it'll be very dear now with where sterling is
There's three exits out of our prattley scales itself, good for sorting too

roosky

Hi all,

im buying a drafting gate too but its off O'Donnell's in emly as that's where the race came from.

I have two options

1 a 2 way divider with a long handle or a 3 way divider with no long handle.

will the sheep keep stopping if im in-front of them opening and closing a gate to divide them ??

the two options can be seen here :
http://www.odonnellengineering.ie/downloads/sheep_brochure_web.pdf

Jack180570

Sorry for the delay replying Rangler and thank you for your advice/information
Yes I suppose it makes most sense to dose in a race as can also footbath at the same time so think we will continue doing that...
Didnt get a chance to ring O'Donovans this week but must next week and will let you know what they are asking for the crate and trutest...
I will have the lambs back in in 4wks time for 2nd vaccination and hopefully will have scales sorted by then and will get to see how the lambs are doing

rangler1

Jack180570 wrote: »

Sorry for the delay replying Rangler and thank you for your advice/information
Yes I suppose it makes most sense to dose in a race as can also footbath at the same time so think we will continue doing that...
Didnt get a chance to ring O'Donovans this week but must next week and will let you know what they are asking for the crate and trutest...
I will have the lambs back in in 4wks time for 2nd vaccination and hopefully will have scales sorted by then and will get to see how the lambs are doing

Do you not find it hard to get the lambs into the footbath in the race.

Jack180570

rangler1 wrote: »

Do you not find it hard to get the lambs into the footbath in the race.

We do... did a couple of batches this week (around 40 ewes in each batch) and ended up separating the ewes from the lambs, putting the Ewes at the far end of the race and putting the lambs through the race then...

Its slow but I think they were more inclined to go in as they were heading back towards their mothers... its slow full stop but a couple of the lambs had just begun to get lame with scald and thats no good

rangler1

Jack180570 wrote: »

We do... did a couple of batches this week (around 40 ewes in each batch) and ended up separating the ewes from the lambs, putting the Ewes at the far end of the race and putting the lambs through the race then...

Its slow but I think they were more inclined to go in as they were heading back towards their mothers... its slow full stop but a couple of the lambs had just begun to get lame with scald and thats no good

As well as that they can splash the stuff up in your face when your dosing them.
Had to give it up here and make the bigger footbath.

Jack180570

rangler1 wrote: »

the €3000 price included the tru test 3000, we have a hand held reader that works with it and our computer, so we could've done eid weighing all along but couldn't justify the extra euro per tag for 750 lambs.
we keep about 500 ewes

Hi rangler... spoke to O'Donovan's just now
3 way manual crate - 1600
ID 5000 weigh head - 1200
Loadbars and stand - 590
Coming to 3390+VAT = 4170
Not cheap... is it possible to reclaim the VAT on it?
Only reason I ask is when comparing the prices to the UK I came across this website http://www.bordersoftware.com/FarmIT/Pages/PrattleyWeighCrates.asp
and in one part it was describing the field version with penning gates which is on a single axle 'trailer' and it says....
'The larger drafting weigh crate comes in both static and mobile versions. The picture on the left showing it on its wheels. It is lowered in seconds via a winch.'

Its just that from memory, the decision as to whether a piece of equipment is eligible to reclaim vat on (unregistered farmers vat), is based on whether it is mobile or fixed.

VAT 58 form says VAT is not refundable on 'mobile equipment and machinery'
but can be reclaimed on the 'construction, extension, alteration or reconstruction of a building or structure which is designed for use
solely or mainly for the purposes of a farming business'

I think it should qualify for vat refund...
Have you your weigh crate fixed permanently?
Do you move it around from place to place?

A farmer can reclaim vat on a farm gate which usually stays in the one place when hung but can be moved...how different is the weigh scales?

Green farmer

Safest thing is to ring the vat office and put forward your case to them. They'll be the ones deciding it anyway.

rangler1

Jack180570 wrote: »

Hi rangler... spoke to O'Donovan's just now
3 way manual crate - 1600
ID 5000 weigh head - 1200
Loadbars and stand - 590
Coming to 3390+VAT = 4170
Not cheap... is it possible to reclaim the VAT on it?
Only reason I ask is when comparing the prices to the UK I came across this website http://www.bordersoftware.com/FarmIT/Pages/PrattleyWeighCrates.asp
and in one part it was describing the field version with penning gates which is on a single axle 'trailer' and it says....
'The larger drafting weigh crate comes in both static and mobile versions. The picture on the left showing it on its wheels. It is lowered in seconds via a winch.'

Its just that from memory, the decision as to whether a piece of equipment is eligible to reclaim vat on (unregistered farmers vat), is based on whether it is mobile or fixed.

VAT 58 form says VAT is not refundable on 'mobile equipment and machinery'
but can be reclaimed on the 'construction, extension, alteration or reconstruction of a building or structure which is designed for use
solely or mainly for the purposes of a farming business'

I think it should qualify for vat refund...
Have you your weigh crate fixed permanently?
Do you move it around from place to place?

A farmer can reclaim vat on a farm gate which usually stays in the one place when hung but can be moved...how different is the weigh scales?

We bring it around tied on a pallet on the pallet forks, we claimed the vat back on it and got it no questions asked, so you should get it too after all its not on wheels.

Jack180570

Thanks Rangler and Green farmer... If I buy it I am going to bolt it down and claim the VAT... its not any different to a field gate then as far as im concerned and going to argue the point then with them