Safe Calving Area

patsy_mccabe

I'm looking for ideas for a calving pen that would allow me to get at a new-born calf safely. Plan is to build one in the coming year. Are self locking barriers the way to go or would a calving gate be enough?
I was thinking along the lines of a swinging gate that could be swung in over the calf and force back the cow safely, if you know what I mean. I remember seeing something like this before with 2 gates but I cant remember where.

kollegeknight

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

I'm looking for ideas for a calving pen that would allow me to get at a new-born calf safely. Plan is to build one in the coming year. Are self locking barriers the way to go or would a calving gate be enough?
I was thinking along the lines of a swinging gate that could be swung in over the calf and force back the cow safely, if you know what I mean. I remember seeing something like this before with 2 gates but I cant remember where.

I bought a semi automatic sculling gate. I find it handy to catch the cow and then I have the calving gate. It was a dearer set up but I can walk out of the shed and she will catch herself:

Limestone Cowboy

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

I'm looking for ideas for a calving pen that would allow me to get at a new-born calf safely. Plan is to build one in the coming year. Are self locking barriers the way to go or would a calving gate be enough?
I was thinking along the lines of a swinging gate that could be swung in over the calf and force back the cow safely, if you know what I mean. I remember seeing something like this before with 2 gates but I cant remember where.

I'm interested in this aswell, can be very difficult/dangerous trying to get near a newborn at times especially so when they haven't sucked themselves and you have to intervene. I had a springer this spring that was grand and quiet until she calved, I had to let ten cows into the shed with her to try and coax her out into the yard so I could stomach tube the calf and I still didn't feel too safe doing it. Be great to have a better system for managing the likes of her.

charolais0153

Limestone Cowboy wrote: »

I'm interested in this aswell, can be very difficult/dangerous trying to get near a newborn at times especially so when they haven't sucked themselves and you have to intervene. I had a springer this spring that was grand and quiet until she calved, I had to let ten cows into the shed with her to try and coax her out into the yard so I could stomach tube the calf and I still didn't feel too safe doing it. Be great to have a better system for managing the likes of her.

Also disinfecting the navel can be very dangerous

patsy_mccabe

I like this design but if the pen was circular, you could close the gate in safely all the way and have it latching every foot or so, as you go. The gate would want to be 2 feet or so off the ground so you could swing it in over a calf lying down. It would tick all the boxes then.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm6E503BjmY&list=PL56C4B64B4D98EFF6&index=1

dh1985

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

I like this design but if the pen was circular, you could close the gate in safely all the way and have it latching every foot or so, as you go. The gate would want to be 2 feet or so off the ground so you could swing it in over a calf lying down. It would tick all the boxes then.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm6E503BjmY&list=PL56C4B64B4D98EFF6&index=1

Another comment on that gate I would have is that when the calving gate section is closed the bottom bar of the gate is too low as it restricts access to the cows elder if you need to get the calf sucking.

charolais0153

I find we barely ever use the gate .gets in the way iykwim.cows seem to go down a lot aswell in our place but it's handy enough cos there's a slope down from head gate

Who2

I'm on the mark 3 version here of calving pens. It's the pen size and what way the gate swings that's the most critical IMO. 12x12 is the optimum size as far as I can see. I've a gate like the one on the clip and while it's an alright job I find it could be better designed.
I'm going to reuse it between 2 pens but this time I'm putting in a fully independant calving chute with all the little gadgets.

bogman_bass

If I was to put in a new set up I would have a skulling gate for the simple reason that the times that you need the gate most are when the pulling gets hard and thats when the cow goes down. The semi auto headgate wont choke an animal that goes down and she can be easily released

Pidae.m

Don't know if you saw this farming life on BBC 2 last year. Martin Irvine with the limousin herd in Scotland had good set up for calving. If I were to do something it would be like that. Even simply but a head locking feed barrier so if I don't trust a cow when I'm tagging a calf I'd pop her in easy enough. I presume you've seen the calving pens in Derry Patrick but that's obviously done with a blank cheque book.

Pidae.m

My own pen has the same ideas in that video but it's 15 years old and needs an upgrade. My old lad wouldn't spend money on safety......pardon the pun but to save his life.

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

I like this design but if the pen was circular, you could close the gate in safely all the way and have it latching every foot or so, as you go. The gate would want to be 2 feet or so off the ground so you could swing it in over a calf lying down. It would tick all the boxes then.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm6E503BjmY&list=PL56C4B64B4D98EFF6&index=1

patsy_mccabe

Just had a thought - Anyone use an electric fence to keep back the cow as you tend to the calf. You could wind it in/out as you sweep it across the shed. Better than nothing.

Mooooo

May not help in terms of catching the calf but in terms of gett8ng out of harms way it may be worth having uprights with a gap that you can get thru but not the cow on all sides, similar to some bull pens. One issue with a swinging gate would be a cow could will blow gate and you out of it. Locking barrier or headlock of some sort would be safest, getting them in there tho

Genghis Cant

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Just had a thought - Anyone use an electric fence to keep back the cow as you tend to the calf. You could wind it in/out as you sweep it across the shed. Better than nothing.

It'll hold some back but the one you really want to hold back will come through it. So I think it lulls you into a false sense of security.

FeelTheBern

dh1985 wrote: »

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

I like this design but if the pen was circular, you could close the gate in safely all the way and have it latching every foot or so, as you go. The gate would want to be 2 feet or so off the ground so you could swing it in over a calf lying down. It would tick all the boxes then.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm6E503BjmY&list=PL56C4B64B4D98EFF6&index=1

Another comment on that gate I would have is that when the calving gate section is closed the bottom bar of the gate is too low as it restricts access to the cows elder if you need to get the calf sucking.

That gate looks like right job.

Think Genghis Cant mentioned in an older thread that he had one of these gates. How do you find it Genghis? Just wondering whether that bottom bar is too low for calves to suck or not? Does your gate telescope out?

Genghis Cant

FeelTheBern wrote: »

That gate looks like right job.

Think Genghis Cant mentioned in an older thread that he had one of these gates. How do you find it Genghis? Just wondering whether that bottom bar is too low for calves to suck or not? Does your gate telescope out?

You've some memory :-)
I had to look at the video there and we have that gate. Performance Steel is right.
The bottom bar is too low. It's a pain trying to get a calf to suck under it. In fact near impossible. There's a small section in the middle of the gate that you swing out if you're doing a CS. We often had to resort to swinging out the rest of the gate and just leaving this small section tied along the flank of the cow. It's far from ideal.
I've often cursed the fact that it's a bit low to allow a calf under. But you sort of forget all about that until every now and then a calf comes along that needs help suckling!

Ours doesn't telescope out. It's a fixed width gate.

tanko

If every cow was as quiet as that Charolais in the video calving would be a doddle. He should have used a crazy limo to give it a good test.

greysides

Two comments about the video.
One, I note there's good space behind the cow to use a calving jack.....seems obvious when you go to use a jack but might be forgotten in the planning.
Two, the rope behind the cow.. can be awkward if the cow goes down during jacking as it's under the jack. I don't have an answer to the problem but I've seen people use bars or ropes over the cows back to keep the side of the 'crush' connected to the wall.

Genghis Cant

greysides wrote: »

Two, the rope behind the cow.. can be awkward if the cow goes down during jacking as it's under the jack. I don't have an answer to the problem but I've seen people use bars or ropes over the cows back to keep the side of the 'crush' connected to the wall.

We use a rope behind the cow. I handle her when I have to, and if I've to use the jack I open the rope, swing back the gate and just leave her held by the head gate. Once the jack goes on there's usually no messing from the cow. In fact I like to have the bit room, particularly if the cow goes down with jacking.

charolais0153

Genghis Cant wrote: »

We use a rope behind the cow. I handle her when I have to, and if I've to use the jack I open the rope, swing back the gate and just leave her held by the head gate. Once the jack goes on there's usually no messing from the cow. In fact I like to have the bit room, particularly if the cow goes down with jacking.

+one. I do be watching videos on YouTube and it would be a hard enough calving and they'd stay standing,at home the majority would go down

FeelTheBern

Genghis Cant wrote: »

FeelTheBern wrote: »

That gate looks like right job.

Think Genghis Cant mentioned in an older thread that he had one of these gates. How do you find it Genghis? Just wondering whether that bottom bar is too low for calves to suck or not? Does your gate telescope out?

You've some memory :-)
I had to look at the video there and we have that gate. Performance Steel is right.
The bottom bar is too low. It's a pain trying to get a calf to suck under it. In fact near impossible. There's a small section in the middle of the gate that you swing out if you're doing a CS. We often had to resort to swinging out the rest of the gate and just leaving this small section tied along the flank of the cow. It's far from ideal.
I've often cursed the fact that it's a bit low to allow a calf under. But you sort of forget all about that until every now and then a calf comes along that needs help suckling!

Ours doesn't telescope out. It's a fixed width gate.

Not sure how good the memory is! Came across the other thread few weeks ago when following up that performance steel gate. Can't figure out why that bar so low - doesn't seem to be any reason why it couldn't be higher. We end up getting a good few calves started on cow here just for peace of mind if it was nigh time so that would turn me off it.

I like the idea of telescopic gate. If you're in a normal bay of a shed probably have 15 foot behind head gate - think you need it all if you're going jacking but if you haven't full gate to bring cow around they'll make some fool of you trying to get them up to headgate.

Anyone have a full calving gate that they are fully happy with??? Think there's a good audience here for a few photos or dimensions!

Justjens

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Just had a thought - Anyone use an electric fence to keep back the cow as you tend to the calf. You could wind it in/out as you sweep it across the shed. Better than nothing.

I use a 12' light gate jammed into a corner and against something solid the other end. Although the gate into my pen also doubles as a divider giving the cow a 3'x11' restricted space to contemplate life.

I'll take a couple of pics of my set-up tomorrow, not quite as fancy as the Youtube one but it does what I need, unless shes a complete looper (like the one I had to sedate last week!).

Justjens

Should be outside mowing the lawn but while I remeber:

This is my set-up for the last 3 or 4 seasons, a row of 3 pens with the main one 15'x11' and the other two 11' square.





The main pen has the calving gate that opens in three ways, and the main gate opens and latches to the wall to restrict the cow in one end, this area also has a pedestrian gate for quick escape, when not occupied!







Getting an unhelpful cow into the headlock can prove challenging. I usually bring in an additional 12' gate jammed into the corner and eventually she'll go in. Last week's cow that we sedated kept coming over the 12' gate at us as there is too much room from the end of the calving gate to the back wall, so we came in from the other side where we could use the dividing gate between pen 2 and 3 to restrict her.

We still failed to get her in the headlock so out came the sedative and we haltered her to the calving gate which is secured to the wall with a large chain. Because of the row of pens we still had plenty of room to work the jack.

Everyting is removable, bar the headlock and pedestrian gate, to make the shed more useable for the other 10 months of the year.

Would I change anything? Yes the calving gate: it would still be in three parts but all three gates would hinge on the same axis, a long bar between hangers and everything swinging off that.

Also I would not bother with the cut-out that I thought would be handy for getting a calf to drink, it's too awkward, too far back and there's too much in the way even if it was in the right place. I'd leave an extra bar or two on the main gate, keep it all square so to speak. I just use the 'section gate chained back for suckling, plenty good enough and a lot less chance of injury as it's set quite high.







Everything is about 6' high, for obvious reason. I can calve a cow from either side while the other pen is occupied. Have only done it once, and the calf from the other pen kept climbing through to see what was going on while the it's cow kept attacking the one I was calving! Thankfully they were all quiet and it all worked out.

Contemplation pen:

kowtow

Justjens wrote: »

Contemplation pen:

That's the cow equivalent of the naughty step, right?

Count Mondego

Lovely setup, something similar in a new shed. Have a calving gate setup between two of the pens like yourself. I have an O'Donnell gate, and while it is great over all, it has one terrible design. The hasp to release the cow from the crush section is a balls and you have to try and lever it up with a bar from a distance. If you put your arm in near it a cow could very easily break your arm.

Base price

tanko wrote: »

If every cow was as quiet as that Charolais in the video calving would be a doddle. He should have used a crazy limo to give it a good test.

Doesn't look like a Charolais to me. I reckon she's a Blonde due to her length and fine bone.

dunlopwellies

I bought a Bo Steel calving gate this year. Have yet to use it but I would say it's the best of them.
The design and build quality is impressive.
I bought the telescopic one to suit the calving pen which is basically the last bag of the shed similar to the Ines gone before.
I think ideally calving gate would want to be hung at 90 degrees to a heavy duty dividing gate rather than a wall so when in use the cow is held between 2 gates. When she goes down in the wrong direction the dividing gate can be opened to jack in that direction iykwim.

patsy_mccabe

Ya, that's how I plan to do mine. Will have it adjustable up and down at the hangin point to allow for Straw build up underneath.

Who2

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Ya, that's how I plan to do mine. Will have it adjustable up and down at the hangin point to allow for Straw build up underneath.

I've my calving gates tight to the ground and the feed barriers set nine inches off the ground and then the dividing gates kept up at 12" to allow to swing over a lying calf.

50HX

goin at the calving shed in the next weeks......as soon as the aul lad heads away for a few days:D

have a semi auto gate already fixed to a h iron(wall at other side) and have a neighbour going to make a calving gate for me that i can hang off the h iron as well,

hope to get him to make the section closest to the cows udder telescopic and also higher off the ground than what's in the video posted above

anyone make any modifications to their gates eg bo steel or condons ones??

was thinking of using a 12ft gate and modify it to be able to open the last 6ft of the bottom 3 bars fully, that way i'll easy access to get calf to drink

part time so have this habit of gettin all calves drinking rather than bottle fed as no time in the mornins before work

yellow50HX

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

I'm looking for ideas for a calving pen that would allow me to get at a new-born calf safely. Plan is to build one in the coming year. Are self locking barriers the way to go or would a calving gate be enough?
I was thinking along the lines of a swinging gate that could be swung in over the calf and force back the cow safely, if you know what I mean. I remember seeing something like this before with 2 gates but I cant remember where.

This is my setup, it's the front of the old silage pit. Access off the slats. Have an old crush gate and hung a gate of a h iron. Plenty of room behind to use a jack and good light overhead.
As you can see I use pallets to make the pen. As I use the bales through the winter it frees up room so space for pen is in place for calving season. If cow goes down I can open the gate to free her up.

patsy_mccabe

yellow50HX wrote: »

sorted

So, have you 2 pens on the right hand side of that right pillar also?

yellow50HX

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

So, have you 2 pens on the right hand side of that right pillar also?

pen on the left is the calving pen as this is the side the cow goes into the crush gate. i use the gate to coral her in (or put a bucket of meal in front of her. I probably should get a semi auto gate (might look for one on DD). gate can also be used to project my self as its normally high enough to go over a calf on the ground.

the other side is just a normal star bed pen which can be accessed from the front or from the calving pen. depending on the what size i want it i can move the bales. normally i use it for cows and young calves until the calf are big enough to use the creep area. i can split it using a gate if needed.

i stitch the pallets to the bales with wire, saves having to use girders and digging up the floor. woks really well as it provides shelter and i can just roll a bale down for bedding.

patsy_mccabe

Well, I put up my calving area. Just one problem I have. Similar to what I posted above. Before the cow calves, it's generally no bother get them in the calving gate. But try getting them in the gate with a calf on the ground and then the fun starts. 9 times out of 10, the cow won't leave the calf and put her head tru the gate. Meal won't even tempt them. Any ideas?

Had a second calver calve this evening. She popped out the calf no bother. No way could I get her in the calving gate. Spend a long time trying to tempt her with meal but no good. About 2 hours later the calf drank one teat on her own but didn't latch on to a second. If I had her in the gate, I could have got her to drink a second. Spend a couple of hours messing with them this evening.

It's happened a few times this year. I lost one calf that I suspect didn't drink the cow right at the start, so I'm very careful now about getting that first drink.

Any ideas? What do ye do in this situation?

893bet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119438771#Comment_119438771

I freeze beastings from random cows that are quiet and allow me to milk them by hand. Feed that to more difficult cows.

if you have a gate is the idea not to get them in the headstock before they calf?

patsy_mccabe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119438847#Comment_119438847

No, better to let them calf on their own normally. Even if you do use the gate, you'd normally let them out then to lick the calf.

Getting them back in is the problem.

Pussyhands

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119438996#Comment_119438996

What's the way you have it set up? If you have it set up the way they do it above would you need to put a cow into the locking gate? Risk of her trying to clear the gate I suppose if you just have a gate swung around for her to be in the make up crush.

Another option is to have the head locking gate inside the pen and have the calving gate and extensions hinged on the locking gate. Then when you have the cow away from the calf and those gates secured, quickly pull the calf to the head of the crush so she'll run up.

But I see problems with this - you're still running the risk of the cow making a charge or trying to clear the gate and if she calves where the make up crush would be you'll have trouble doing it.

ABitofsense

I've the bosteel calving gate & the way I do it is 1st high molasses crunch in head gate, good sweet stuff, & in the bucket their used to seeing for nuts. If that doesn't work then I close the full gate around on them & force them along to the head gate. In awkward situations when gate is over I'd pull calf out into other pin then close gate & catch her with headgate when she goes looking. The bosteel gates are fairly strong so I'm well protected. I never enter the pin unless cow is secured.

My cows are mostly quiet so nuts in headgate work most times.

Lime Tree Farm

Here its slide a loose gate between the cow and calf in the pen. The loose gate is held in place propped on the feeder at one end and hung on a post between the headlock and calving gate, creating a makeshift crush. put the calf in front of the calving gate headlock, and in she goes. Remove the loose gate and secure her with the section of the calving gate.

minerleague

One option is move the cow and calf out of pen with headlock to adjoining pen after calving, then if you need to help calf to suck open gate back to first pen, cow thinks she getting out leaving calf behind. lock her in and bring calf upto front of headlock

James2022

I will take some pics of my calving setup this week. I've high gates so you can swing them over calves to lock the mother back. Great when a calf isn't standing or needs a bottle. Also good for putting iodine on and when you need to tag.

blue5000

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119438771#Comment_119438771

Sorry but I just don’t bother with any of that crap anymore, I let nature take it’s course. It took about 15 years for the cows to learn to sort it out themselves. Had one calf this year that had to be handled with a leg down, and had to get help. Getting the pre-calver minerals right was the big break through for me. No more dopey calves.

mr.stonewall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119452360#Comment_119452360

I'm a bit similar to Blue. Have 2 calving pens if needed. All calves outside this year. Had to handle one but it was a matter of put the ropes on a give a pull by hand. Calving cows in sheds is something it try to avoid. Checking them a few times a day is key

Precalver is a must, but having exercise for the cow is the most important I feel. If see has loads of space and can use the lie of the land to sit comfortably and encourage the calf into the right position. Leads to a livelier calf and more inclined to suck. Perfect clean environment and a lot lot less scour. Lower cost and less time needed.

This years calving pen, was a portion of a wet paddock fenced off with a few strip wires. Stagger the wire in a zig zag fashion and move a stake or 2 every day. The paddock got 2 drains put into it now and quick till with a landleveller and chain harrow. Shake of grass seed and it better than the start of the year.

Secondly bull choice. Nothing of the extreme. Motto here is cow goes in calf easy, calves easy and rears calf easily. Use of some ai is great for heifers and breeding replacements. This helps to avoid sleepy dopey calves.

Would i do without a calving pen? Not in an asses roar. Handy for the time it's needed and safe. Keep the system simple is the motto. Cow has to do the work.

Bright side not a bale of straw used at calving

patsy_mccabe

I was like the that. Calved them all out when weather is fine but lost calves that I suspect didn't drink right at the start. Plus no fun chasing a cow around in the dark of the night outside in a field.

I give mineral bonuses to all before calving.

Anto_Meath

I calve them all out side too, in a little field between the house and yard, I can keep an eye on them from the kitchen window, stand at the back door and shine a light around the field at night, it is working well, they have a wee shed and yard to go into for silage or shelter, there. I calve from mid March unit till end of April for the bulk of them and then you ll end up for the few stragglers until June sometimes. There would be 5 /6 cows in the field at any time, it does get well dug up but the chain harrow and a bit of hayseed and it back to itself in a few weeks. We find cows are happier and calves are far healthier this way than before when we used to be trying to manage them in sheds. The stragglers are the ones that end up causing most trouble as you are busy with other things and you don't tend to keep as tight of an eye on them as you would when there is a few in the paddock.

Lime Tree Farm

All I can say is we never knew about c-sections or prolapse until they were housed. Having said that there is great comfort in having them housed with facilities, cameras and lights.

SuperTortoise

No one setup will suit everyone, years ago we used to calve them outside because we had no shed, all well and good until you need a vet at 3am on a pissy cold night with muck and shite everywhere, and there will always be at least one every year.

Sorry i have'nt any new advice for the shed situation, i suppose a swinging gate hung high enough to clear a lying calf as already suggested is probably as good as it gets.

Base price

I'm looking for recommendations on a calving gate. After the spills of rain I'm thinking of putting a handling gate/crush into the gable end of a old stone shed that is beside the slatted shed. The stone shed is split into sorta three equal parts - c. 12' x 15' with concrete floors. There is no electricity in the shed but I can get an electrician to sort that out. The nearest gable end of the shed that I would like to use is about 12' from the slatted unit but the access for a cow would be to walk her through the current c. 5' x 5'9" doorway. We have an outside crush along the slatted unit but I'd prefer to be under a roof in this weather.

Hard Knocks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119754384#Comment_119754384

We’ve a gibney gate here, the local store ordered it for us, it’s 10ft & the smallest you can get

Has been a great investment, we’ve an extendable gate dividing 2 pens we use to help direct the cow into the headstock

patsy_mccabe

This setup is good. I like the way the gate swings in at the back. Simple but effective.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0UoZL-1x6U

Jb1989

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120013417#Comment_120013417

Wonder what the machine up on the wall at the end of the crush is for. An electric winch from lidl above the c section gate is useful to have, to lift a big calf up in the air after removal from the side.