After working in hundreds of corrals TB testing cattle, and then designing cattle corrals full time for 15 years, I've found the best way to get cattle to where you want them to go is to entice them.
It's simple, the more you can draw cattle the less labor you need. And the less you have to force them the less stress on cattle and handler. And when cattle move freely the less time you spend in the corral.
There are 4 things you can use to entice cattle:
1/ Companionship Cattle draw to other cattle.
2/ Escape (from the corral).
3/ Food or water
4/ Familiarity The more cattle become familiar with the corral, (providing their experience is not too unpleasant) the easier they'll move into and through the corral next time.
COMPANIONSHIP
There are 3 ways to use this:
1/ Put a quiet animal(s) in the corral first to draw others into the corral.
2/ When cows with calves enter a corral calves tend to lag and cows tend to go back to look for them. You can use this natural movement to sort them.
3/ Put a quiet animal in a decoy chute or bail to draw cattle into the chute.
ESCAPE
As soon as cattle realize the corral is a trap they start looking for an escape and their natural tendency is to head back towards the entry gate. You can use this natural movement to:
1/ Sort cattle.
2/ Get them to move into and through the chute.
FOOD & WATER
This works better with hungry/thirsty cattle (be cruel to be kind - it may prevent the stress of forcing them through the corral).
1/ Have a water trough either to draw them into the corral, or in the pen when they exit the chute (depends where you want to entice them to most).
2/ Provide feed in the corral. This can cause flow problems if placed before where you want them to go. So place hay or meal in the pen after they exit the chute. The smell will draw them forward. And the memory will help draw them into the corral next time.
FAMILIARITY
Once cattle become familiar with a corral (like dairy cows in a parlor) the fear factor abates and they'll come back to it easier next time. And the more pleasant the corral experience (food and water helps with this) the easier they'll enter and move through the corral next time.
The more you can keep your vulnerable 80kg body separate from 400kg of boisterous beef the better! The whole idea is to keep man and beast as separated as possible.
Our new crowd pen designdoes just that. Crowd pens have historicly been the most dangerous place in cattle corrals. If you managed to avoid getting crushed against the rails, or your feet stood on, you were likely to get kicked in the shins! The problem is that in many crowd pens require you to get in with the cattle to force them into the chute.
Our new design eliminates any need to get in the pen. The central working platform places you right in the middle of the cattle - in complete safety. From this central position you can reach all cattle in the pen (with a 1.5m stick) and cattle are always circling you. No corners for cattle to hide in, and no need to get in the pen - transforming the most dangerous place in the corral into one of the safest.
Also, with the whole crowd pen encircling a central platform it actually makes for a larger pen, which means less refilling.
Design Service
If you cannot find the design that suits your needs in any of the packages, I can design a corral for your specific needs. My rate is $75.00 per hour. The average corral takes about 5 hours to complete including a simple method for locating exact post positions on the ground.
I have received dozens of testimonies (see testimonies page) from experienced cattlemen who are delighted with the way cattle flow through their corral - making it easy for them to handle up to 200 cattle by themselves.Or in larger (two-man) corrals cattlemen can process 600+ cattle per hour without stressing cattle or handlers.
If you'd like some advice with designing a corral email me (click on our 'Contact Us' page) and I'll be happy to help you.
John Kersten
Design Services