Redneck Engineering - Making a Squeeze Chute

I've mentioned in a previous post that we needed a head gate for over a decade.  Giving shots to cows, working on their hooves, milking some unruly cows in the past, and random doctoring on animal over the years can be described somewhere between a rodeo and a stampede.  Not fun.  We did install the head gate.  We realized shortly after installing it that we should make a makeshift squeeze chute.  Even if the head is secured, trying to work on a cow's body is mighty hard as they can move their entire body from side to side (AND KICK!) if you don't have some means of securing their body, too.

A squeeze chute is expensive.  We found a remedy for that.  We'll make our own using a swinging gate on one side and a fixed, but adjustable rail on the other.  We'll show you the completed design below.  The wise old owl on the roof, by the way, discourages hawks from killing our chickens.

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On the left side you can see that the gate is hinged off of the 4x4 which anchors the head gate.  On the right side, we have a 2x4 that is bolted, but hinged off the 4x4 in the front.  It has pegs in the back 4x4 that allows you to lift it all the way up when milking, as it is now, or put it down level to keep the cow stationary and from kicking.   

This photo shows the chute from the left side.  If the cow is in the head gate and chute and you don't want her moving, you simple close the gate against her body and pull a rope from the end of the gate and tie it around the 4x4 you see on the right side of the photo.

This photo shows the railing in the 'down' position.

But the proof is in the pudding.  Does it work?  Well, we have the perfect specimen to try it on.  Yep, we are still working on Rosie's teat that she ripped open.  We milk out that quarter every afternoon.  She kicks like a bucking bull.  She displays her displeasure and pain by trying to get away.  If ever there was a reason for a squeeze chute, this is it.

We coaxed her in the head gate with a bucket of feed and closed the head gate after we had put the rail down.  Then we closed the hinged gate and tied off on the 4x4 in the back, squeezing her tightly.  We installed a boat cleat on the bottom of the back 4x4 that we use to hobble a back leg to keep her further immobile.

How did it work?  She still kicked, but she could not move out of the way.  Milking was easier, and it felt safer, too.  It works!  We like it!  Veterinarians making farm calls to doctor on the cows or palpate them will be pleased as well.  Redneck engineering.  A cheaper alternative that gets the job done.  

A Tool We Needed 10 Years Ago on the Homestead

The recent ordeal with Rosie's torn teat finally lit a fire under me to purchase a tool we've needed for a very long time - a head gate.  A head gate firmly secures the animal so that they can be worked on.  You pull their head through the gate, pull a lever on top, and a bar slide toward the animal and locks in place.  The cow is then unable to move backward or forward.  Shots can be given, hooves can be worked on, the animal can be milked, etc.  

When you are dealing with a 900 pound animal, just tying off their halter to a post doesn't isolate the animal.  They thrash about.  They fall down. They pull so hard they break the chain on their halter.  We NEEDED this thing.  We shopped around and found it and it was delivered to the house last week.  This weekend installing the head gate was on my to do list.  Here we are pulling Rosie through it for the first time.

Tricia decided that a roof over-hang needed to extend over the head gate area so that we could "doctor" on cows even if it was raining.  I fashioned together a roof extension with some scraps of lumber and tin we had lying about.  I also stapled a piece of a cattle panel beneath the head gate so that goats wouldn't be able to escape the corral.

Here is a view from the 'cow side.'  One critical problem we found immediately is that I will have to alter the head gate.  If you look at the photo below, you'll see that when the head gate is fully closed, it leaves an 8" opening.  We measured the cows' heads.  10 inches wide.  Well, somehow the cows are able to twist their heads and pull out.  

I think I can fix this by cutting a 2x2 or a 1" pvc pipe, drilling holes through them as well as the vertical pipe on the head gate, and bolting the 2x2 or 1"pvc pipe onto the vertical pipe.  The would reduce the opening from 8" to 7 or 6 inches.  That would render the head gate escape-proof.  

Obligatory goofy pic of my wife in the gate.

As well as one of me.  Wouldn't it be embarrassing to get stuck in there and not be able to reach the lever to release it?

Here is one more photo from the back.  We have actually milked outside 3 afternoons now.  It is working great!  We put a food bucket in front, Rose steps forward, we hobble her back leg to the 4x4 that is anchored in cement, and Tricia works on her injured teat and milks her safely secured.

One more project that we will do to improve this set up.  We'll make the head gate a full squeeze chute by putting a 10 foot swinging gate that pivots on the 4x4 above Rosie's left shoulder above.  If we need to isolate not only her head, but her entire body, we would swing the gate toward her body and tie it off tight to the 4x4 behind her right back leg.  She would be totally immovable to allow for safe veterinary work.  Ten years to late, but having this set up will definitely be beneficial in the future.

Not For The Squeamish or Faint of Heart

Rosie is the matriarch of our little herd of Jersey cows.  She's the oldest, the leader, the bell cow.  Her breed, Jersey, tells you she is from the Island of Jersey, which sits in the English Channel right off France.  The temperatures are much nicer there.  Rosie is not real keen on the tropical climate in south Louisiana.  She gets very hot.  She pants.  Her tongue hangs out.  Often, we'll spray her down with water. 

She has a spot that she likes to sit in.  It is on the east side of our barn under a roof.  It is shady and cool.  Here is a photo of Rosie's shady oasis, where she seeks respite from the heat.

Rosie is mom to LuLu.  LuLu is two months old, so Rosie is very much in milk.  She has a nice big udder.  Well, here is the uncomfortable story of Rosie's latest adventure.  Rosie sits in the mud to stay cool.  Her body is sprawled out to get cool.  When Rosie went to stand up, she stood with her sharp hooves ON HER TEAT!  Ouch!  When she lifted herself, there was a big problem.  She continued to rise while standing on her teat.  Something had to give.  Rosie's sharp hooves sheared off a portion of her teat.

When Tricia and I went to the barn for evening chores, Tricia noticed that one of Rosie's quarters had not been emptied out by LuLu.  We looked and thought that there was mud on the teat.  I told Tricia, "Well, that's why LuLu won't nurse on that quarter.  I'll go spray it off."  So I took her outside, turned on the water hose, set the nozzle to the "jet" setting and began to spray off the 'mud.'  Rosie began kicking violently.  The 'mud' would not come off.  I quickly discovered that it wasn't mud - it was a big scab.

We tried to milk the quarter out, but Rosie was some kind of mad.  No success.  If you can't get the milk out, mastitis will set in.  Tricia visited our vet and got some antibiotic.  We gave Rosie a subcutaneous injection last night.  

Today, however, we needed to give it another try.  We don't have a head gate or a squeeze chute.  Using redneck engineering, we did the best we could, tying Rosie to a post and used two swinging gates to sandwich her between.  Note the purple lead rope that pulls the two gates together.

Then, we used a dog leash to hobble Rosie's leg.  This is crucial to keep her from kicking.  If you don't do this, she will kick you into next week.

Here is where I brag on my wife.  I can butcher chickens with reckless abandon.  It doesn't bother me.  However, an injured animal, bleeding and hurting really bothers me.  Tricia is strong.  Once Rosie was in our homemade squeeze chute and hobbled, Tricia tried to milk out the quarter, but no dice.  The scab covered the opening to the teat.  She then began the uncomfortable task of peeling the scab off of the teat.  Let's just say Rosie was not pleased with this medical procedure.  It is interesting that Tricia and I are different.  The things she's good at, I am not.  And vice versa.  We complement each other.  I am proud of Dr. Tricia's excellent work on Rosie.

You can see the damage to the teat below.  Eye Yie Yie!  But Tricia successfully opened the teat.

She began milking out Rosie's injured quarter.  You can see the infection from the mastitis she was able to get out.  It is the yellow globs of stuff below that looks like cottage cheese.  It is important that we get this out.

Finally, we emptied the quarter.  Thank you, Lord!  Tomorrow, we will do it again.  Saturday and Sunday we will repeat it numerous times. It was a stressful, painful afternoon.  As if to counteract the ugly task, God gave us a beautiful sunset to insert a little peace and stillness to the afternoon.  

It is good to finally have a peaceful afternoon after a rough go at it.  Rosie seconds that motion.