Feeding barriers/skulking gate

Charliebull

What's people's opinions on
1. Locking feeding barriers
2. Semi automatic versus automatic skulking gates

Bullocks

I know a few lads that put in the locking barriers that don't really use them after and might have been better with strategic gates and pens leading to a crush especially for sucklers that dont stand quiet in them anyhow .
I'm not alot of help with the auto / semi head gate we only have the old manual ones here .

CCM

Put in one here four years ago in a calving pen to see how it would work have the whole shed changed over now. Suckling with big continentals and wouldn't be without them especially for getting safe access to calves after calving for tagging etc. Also used it once instead of the calving gate along the gate side of the pen. Had a channel iron with an angle iron at the bottom going down between the slats and tied to the gate at the top. Good for testing too less stress on in calf cows compared getting them up the shoot with my setup.

lough135

The next skuling I put in will be a Morris type skuling gate, it opens the full width of the crush and as the animals neck is level with it you close it manually, you can get an extension on the handle to close it from behind the animal, you can also get a gate or frame to sit at the front and stop the animal from exiting the crush, if you google morris cattle crush you should find it, I can't put up a link.

I have the Nugent beef head locking gate and doesn't work the way it is supposed to, there is nothing wrong with the gate, just the cows are to smart, nearly all them gate are the same

Base price

Charliebull wrote: »

What's people's opinions on
1. Locking feeding barriers
2. Semi automatic versus automatic skulking gates

The only time I saw locking feed barriers work was many years ago when I was in France. Cows & calves preferred the shade in cattle sheds and had access to feed via locking barriers during the very hot Summer weather.
I don't have any experience with semi or automatic skculling gates. Have 2 manual ones here which work well but one works better for young stock as it is more adjustable.
The more that cattle/cows get injected, prodded, dosed etc the less likelyhood that they will willingly stick their heads through any type of headlock/gate. Can't blame them in fairness.

dunlopwellies

Charliebull wrote: »

What's people's opinions on
1. Locking feeding barriers
2. Semi automatic versus automatic skulking gates

Have a fully auto Nugent sculling gate here. Doesn't suit is so I wouldn't recommend them. Depends on your setup I suppose.
Cows have to hit it very hard to close it, due to the return Spring being so strong. - generally they don't get it closed so you have to try to put the cow up and try to push the gate closed with your hand.
You have to hold the gate open to let the cow out and taking the handle there is the possibility of being hit by the cow.
The next cow definatly won't close it unless she fully mental.
I don't see much of a Benifit of it offer the semi automatic gate for the extra cost.

We also have the manual one you pull with the rope does what it's supposed to we haven't got one but I'd say the semi auto would be the best.

Tyson Lannister

I have the locking barriers for sucklers and find them great.

Use them for testing, dosing. injecting and even calving once or twice even though I shouldn't.
I also use them to feed nuts to cows that have calves under them - lock them all in and throw the nuts in front of the cow you want to feed.
I find them a great job only one major flaw for me - there is absolutely no problem getting them to stick their heads out when just me there but if the vet lands to the shed before me I have 2 cows that will not put out their heads and you're screwed then. You can drive them up the crush but not into the barriers. the vet now knows not to go near the shed until I tell him.

J.O. Farmer

Tyson Lannister wrote: »

I have the locking barriers for sucklers and find them great.

Use them for testing, dosing. injecting and even calving once or twice even though I shouldn't.
I also use them to feed nuts to cows that have calves under them - lock them all in and throw the nuts in front of the cow you want to feed.
I find them a great job only one major flaw for me - there is absolutely no problem getting them to stick their heads out when just me there but if the vet lands to the shed before me I have 2 cows that will not put out their heads and you're screwed then. You can drive them up the crush but not into the barriers. the vet now knows not to go near the shed until I tell him.

I think the question really has to be asked. What did that vet do to those 2 cows in your absence.