CALVING GATE

[Pan mixer]

Mine is a 12 foot pen, fortunately with another gate behind.
It is 12 feet behind the yoke so you have to add a bit on for cows head, I have a normal Vink - not the huge one for continentals.

I have to open the gate behind to use the Vink properly.

Sadly your pen isn't big enough in my humble opinion without some demolition.

 

[sjewart]

Mine is a 12 foot pen, fortunately with another gate behind.
It is 12 feet behind the yoke so you have to add a bit on for cows head, I have a normal Vink - not the huge one for continentals.

I have to open the gate behind to use the Vink properly.

Sadly your pen isn't big enough in my humble opinion without some demolition.

Thank you @Pan mixer, all opinions welcome - good or bad.

I have a possible Plan B. Will check out that shed for size when cattle go out to grass.

 

[sjewart]

Anyone actually got a Ritchie calving gate like attached? Some iv enquiries about have 16 week wait. Local stockists will have 3 of these available soon. Are they any good?

 

[Extreme Optimist]

Anyone actually got a Ritchie calving gate like attached? Some iv enquiries about have 16 week wait. Local stockists will have 3 of these available soon. Are they any good? View attachment 661090

Think @foxbox has some.

 

[Henarar]

OK I stopped making excuses and actually got out there and measured up.

From the end of the water trough to the back wall is 442cm (a bitty over 14ft).

Obviously the yoke needs to be a bit back from water trough to allow room for heifers head. Does this sound do-able to anyone?

What doesn't help is my heifers are generally 750kg and long so a very short gate isn't an option. View attachment 654018View attachment 654020

no you haven't got room to put it there, the most important thing is having enough room behind the animal

 

[sjewart]

no you haven't got room to put it there, the most important thing is having enough room behind the animal

It's OK, we've come up with another space in another shed [emoji4]

 

[Henarar]

we need photographic evidence of this development

 

[Pan mixer]

That one looks splendid, I have to tie the cow with a rope for suckling with the one I have.

as the gate won't fold up.

 

[foxbox]

Think @foxbox has some.

We've got some, they are very good. There are a few things I'd change on a Mk2 version but they're not serious enough to dislike the gate. We've had ours for 4 years now I think; I really like them and they are as good as the day we bought them. You can attach a pull cord to the head yoke to lock it from a distance too if the cow gets wise to setting it off (some of them do).

When you lift the bottom half up to milk or suckle a cow it's really easy to bang your head on it. I'm a bit jumpy around flying feet at times but can confirm you only bang your head about a dozen times before you learn not to....

They are very heavy. This is great as you're getting a lot of steel for your money but if you want to move them to muck out or something they take a lot of shifting. They are really awkward to carry too, the designer has managed to create a design with no hand holds somehow. Much easier to use the pallet tines .

If she has mastitis and you're trying to strip her out I can guarantee it'll be on the side furthest away from you. It's not a gate problem and in fairness with the eight setup you could walk her in to the gate from either direction though.

 

[Pan mixer]

If she has mastitis and you're trying to strip her out I can guarantee it'll be on the side furthest away from you. It's not a gate problem and in fairness with the eight setup you could walk her in to the gate from either direction though.

This is a really good point that I forgot earlier - I am lucky that mine can be used either side although I use it on the 'Caesar side' as shown most of the time but it does work from the next pen too.

being able to shut the yoke remotely is a good plan, I usually bodge something up but, depending on the cow, the yoking very often involves 2 people.

 

[jamj]

Anyone using a Teemore engineering calving gate?

 

[Henarar]

When you lift the bottom half up to milk or suckle a cow it's really easy to bang your head on it.

That's why I didn't get one of them
to be honest I didn't like any of them for one reason or another except the o'donnall and they never got back to me
that's why I ended up buying a head gate and sorting the rest myself

 

[sjewart]

Thanks everyone il have a further wee think about it.

 

[sjewart]

We've got some, they are very good. There are a few things I'd change on a Mk2 version but they're not serious enough to dislike the gate. We've had ours for 4 years now I think; I really like them and they are as good as the day we bought them. You can attach a pull cord to the head yoke to lock it from a distance too if the cow gets wise to setting it off (some of them do).

When you lift the bottom half up to milk or suckle a cow it's really easy to bang your head on it. I'm a bit jumpy around flying feet at times but can confirm you only bang your head about a dozen times before you learn not to....

They are very heavy. This is great as you're getting a lot of steel for your money but if you want to move them to muck out or something they take a lot of shifting. They are really awkward to carry too, the designer has managed to create a design with no hand holds somehow. Much easier to use the pallet tines .

If she has mastitis and you're trying to strip her out I can guarantee it'll be on the side furthest away from you. It's not a gate problem and in fairness with the eight setup you could walk her in to the gate from either direction though.

@foxbox does the head yoke have quick release facility as standard?

 

[foxbox]

@foxbox does the head yoke have quick release facility as standard?

The head yoke has a bar that rotates; if the yoke is set the stops face straight up and the catch engages automatically as the animal lowers it's head. If the cow goes down when calving etc you only have to rotate the bar about 30 degrees to release the yoke and the animal can escape - it's a really effective (and safe) way to free the cow. It doesn't matter how much pressure is being put on any part of the yoke either; it will always release.

The yoke is designed for the cow to enter high, so head at normal walking/standing height. A proportion of cows would rather enter low, so head at grazing/eating height. You can set the yoke backwards in this situation (so you go past the locked position in to an open at the bottom position) and the cows will enter happily, it's much easier then though to trip the yoke manually with string rather than rely on the auto lock which is designed for the high entry.

I think this makes sense, if it doesn't I'll do you a video.

 

[sjewart]

The head yoke has a bar that rotates; if the yoke is set the stops face straight up and the catch engages automatically as the animal lowers it's head. If the cow goes down when calving etc you only have to rotate the bar about 30 degrees to release the yoke and the animal can escape - it's a really effective (and safe) way to free the cow. It doesn't matter how much pressure is being put on any part of the yoke either; it will always release.

The yoke is designed for the cow to enter high, so head at normal walking/standing height. A proportion of cows would rather enter low, so head at grazing/eating height. You can set the yoke backwards in this situation (so you go past the locked position in to an open at the bottom position) and the cows will enter happily, it's much easier then though to trip the yoke manually with string rather than rely on the auto lock which is designed for the high entry.

I think this makes sense, if it doesn't I'll do you a video.

Thanks @foxbox. Il show your response to my partner tonight, I'm sure he can follow it no problem. Thanks very much [emoji106]

 

[Extreme Optimist]

Alternatively, get a calving cube and you can put it where you want to and just have calving pens in the shed and so space would be less of an issue. I have one and think they are a brilliant piece of kit.
https://www.ritchie-d.co.uk/product/details/268

 

[sjewart]

Alternatively, get a calving cube and you can put it where you want to and just have calving pens in the shed and so space would be less of an issue. I have one and think they are a brilliant piece of kit.
https://www.ritchie-d.co.uk/product/details/268

It looks brilliant but I can't justify the cost with only 2-5 calving down yearly.

 

[Extreme Optimist]

It looks brilliant but I can't justify the cost with only 2-5 calving down yearly.

Ah.......I missed that bit!!!

 

[jamj]

I have been looking at the Teemore gates.
They do a 3 in 1 which is like a normal gate with a head yoke inside at the hinge end. There is another gate inside main gate which can be opened round 90 degrees to yoke. About £500.