Calving gate installation: ideas please.

[Agri Spec Solicitor]

Our cattle calve easily but the odd calving goes wrong and so we bought a Jourdain calving gate years ago. It is similar to the one in photos below. There is a strap bolted on to the wall. The yoke fixes on to the strap but the other end is not supported on the ground. The gate fixes on to the free end of the yoke. So it collapses against the shed wall for storage.
In use the cow is put in the yoke than the gate closes parallel to the wall and a chain tethers it to the wall. The unit is placed so that behind it there is about 3 m of clear space to operate a calving jack if that is the chosen weapon.
So much for the theory. Last week in its first use the cow was very calm then when it saw the vet it became very agitated. Eventually it calmed after vet retired to the yard but I couldn’t get the cow in the yoke which flaps around and I can’t be in 2 places at once. Story ended badly as cow went down in awkward place and couldn’t use jack effectively. Must do better.
Here are the limitations:
1. Vet doesn’t like calving in crushes in case cow goes down, even in a flat floor crush.
2. Race behind crush or crush itself gets in way for using a jack
3. If we make a semi permanent race out of hurdles in shed it will be in way of jack
4. We could bring in a lot of temporary hurdles to make a race and then when cow secured, take them away. But that’s a lot of effort and takes time.
5. Fixing the free end of the yoke to ground may be impossible when used in our straw bedded shed but a drop pin driven into deep straw could be enough
I can’t think of an obvious solution and hope someone out there has a simple solution we can copy or adapt. Grateful of any guidance.

 

[Nearly]

bucket of rolled barley on the floor.
a second gate tied on the end of the calving gate to make a funnel. Make it rigid, not hinged.
leave the gate half open for a few days now and again so the cows get used to it.
I made these 10 years ago. Rust is good camoflage.

 

[Agri Spec Solicitor]

We think we have a solution. Going to make a rectangular frame to hold the calving gate, then it is no longer attached to the wall. We will use 3 x hurdles which we already have to make a pen. Then as above a bit of coaxing to get cow in the yoke. Remove rear hurdle if necessary to use a jack. Hopefully it will be a few years before we need it again!
Thanks for the guidance.

 

[onesiedale]

https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/be-careful-out-there.407661/

Just thought I'd link this....

 

[dave6470]

I use my normal crush but put the cow in fron the front end have a gate attached to front which swings round gides the cow in then when shes in the yoke the gate can be pulled back

 

[Limcrazy]

Those are awful things I'd much rather calve a cow in a big pen on a halter. I use a self locking feed barrier with a home made 2 bar gate hinged off it to hold a cow for milking or getting calf to suck.

 

[Cowpoke82]

Il try an get a pic of my set up

 

[Werzle]

Our cattle calve easily but the odd calving goes wrong and so we bought a Jourdain calving gate years ago. It is similar to the one in photos below. There is a strap bolted on to the wall. The yoke fixes on to the strap but the other end is not supported on the ground. The gate fixes on to the free end of the yoke. So it collapses against the shed wall for storage.
In use the cow is put in the yoke than the gate closes parallel to the wall and a chain tethers it to the wall. The unit is placed so that behind it there is about 3 m of clear space to operate a calving jack if that is the chosen weapon.
So much for the theory. Last week in its first use the cow was very calm then when it saw the vet it became very agitated. Eventually it calmed after vet retired to the yard but I couldn’t get the cow in the yoke which flaps around and I can’t be in 2 places at once. Story ended badly as cow went down in awkward place and couldn’t use jack effectively. Must do better.
Here are the limitations:
1. Vet doesn’t like calving in crushes in case cow goes down, even in a flat floor crush.
2. Race behind crush or crush itself gets in way for using a jack
3. If we make a semi permanent race out of hurdles in shed it will be in way of jack
4. We could bring in a lot of temporary hurdles to make a race and then when cow secured, take them away. But that’s a lot of effort and takes time.
5. Fixing the free end of the yoke to ground may be impossible when used in our straw bedded shed but a drop pin driven into deep straw could be enough
I can’t think of an obvious solution and hope someone out there has a simple solution we can copy or adapt. Grateful of any guidance.

As others have said bucket of feed and get yolked as vet arrives or halter and pull into yolk. I get quiet ones behind a normal gate to get jack on with some tension and then open it up so she walks out into the yard abit. Wild /problem ones i calve in the race with head yolked in sliding door, pull the pin out of the hinge when extreme pressures on so she can go down and gate slides open. Never ever calve one in the crush unless its a side door job because they cannot lie on there side if they go down.

 

[Cowpoke82]

A calving gate in a small shed , worked well for the odd occasion it was needed