Cattle handling - Locking yolks for AI, TB testing etc

[PREES]

We are thinking of changing our handling system so that it includes space for a holding pen with locking yolks to carry out TB testing etc. Is this a good idea? I know some people rave about yolks instead of a herringbone race - what do you do to get cows into them - put some feed down perhaps? Do you have them at wider spacing so you can get in between the cows for TB testing? Any design ideas that we need to think about or maybe don't do it!

 

[Scholsey]

We are thinking of changing our handling system so that it includes space for a holding pen with locking yolks to carry out TB testing etc. Is this a good idea? I know some people rave about yolks instead of a herringbone race - what do you do to get cows into them - put some feed down perhaps? Do you have them at wider spacing so you can get in between the cows for TB testing? Any design ideas that we need to think about or maybe don't do it!

only time our cows go in crush is for foot trimming, yokes work a treat.

 

[More to life]

We are thinking of changing our handling system so that it includes space for a holding pen with locking yolks to carry out TB testing etc. Is this a good idea? I know some people rave about yolks instead of a herringbone race - what do you do to get cows into them - put some feed down perhaps? Do you have them at wider spacing so you can get in between the cows for TB testing? Any design ideas that we need to think about or maybe don't do it!

. I think they would be hopeless for cattle handling unless they are regularly feed through them.

 

[PREES]

@Scholsey - do you feed through them all the time? Would we be aable to train the cows if we had some yolks in our feed passage? Not keen on putting them in everywhere due to cost etc.

 

[Scholsey]

@Scholsey - do you feed through them all the time? Would we be aable to train the cows if we had some yolks in our feed passage? Not keen on putting them in everywhere due to cost etc.

a small bank of them would be handy but I’d have a cake bin handy so can keep getting a bit out to yoke bulling/vets cows quickly, can soon waste 5-10 minutes waiting for a troublesome cow to yoke.

 

[Scholsey]

. I think they would be hopeless for cattle handling unless they are regularly feed through them.

serve my bulling heifers through them who only use them when I have a heifer to ai. They stand good as gold for serving/tb testing/PD/freeze branding in them just from a bit of cake chucked down.

 

[More to life]

serve my bulling heifers through them who only use them when I have a heifer to ai. They stand good as gold for serving/tb testing/PD/freeze branding in them just from a bit of cake chucked down.

Our stock that haven’t seen them before can take a day or two to use them preferring to eat straw.

 

[PREES]

@Scholsey - how do you manage in terms of the vet accessing their necks for TB testing? Do you work from one side and let them out once injected/tested/measured?

 

[Scholsey]

Let them out, - person in feed passage doing paper work, vet jabs then Lets them out, 1 Person stands behind vet to stop cows moving around too much

 

[epfarms]

There is no faster way of TB testing than in yokes, assuming you have them for all cattle. Bringing say 10 cows into an area and trying to get them to lock up is hopeless - get a herringbone race instead. I’d always have some kind of individual stall for awkward cows, whether it’s a crush or AI stall.

 

[PREES]

There is no faster way of TB testing than in yokes, assuming you have them for all cattle. Bringing say 10 cows into an area and trying to get them to lock up is hopeless - get a herringbone race instead. I’d always have some kind of individual stall for awkward cows, whether it’s a crush or AI stall.

Our idea was to have them in our holding pens as they exit from a rotary parlour, we would yolk up 10-20 cows & test them whilst another batch are being yoked up in an adjoining pen, keep on swapping pens. Some people say herringbone races don't work with a rotary?

 

[Fergieman]

Our cows feed through the yokes all the time and the shed has a full set of yokes. Very fast for all vet work and vaccinations.

The problem with only having a few and only yoking them up when you want to do something with needles the cows soon get to know that sticking their head in the yoke results in a needle being inserted somewhere, hence they are not easy yoked up if not doing it everyday as routine.

 

[epfarms]

Our idea was to have them in our holding pens as they exit from a rotary parlour, we would yolk up 10-20 cows & test them whilst another batch are being yoked up in an adjoining pen, keep on swapping pens. Some people say herringbone races don't work with a rotary?

It could work but I don’t expect it would be ideal, you’d have to train them to yoke up which would be time consuming if it’s not through their feed face every day. I’m assuming that if you have a rotary you have a fair number of cows so yokes for every one would be costly, it is the most efficient though. Failing this, rotary cows will go in to a herringbone (I know 2 farms where this happens) or just put a scissor yoke on the end of a race for TB and your yoke idea for cow checks, treatments, AI, etc.

 

[Grassman247]

Our idea was to have them in our holding pens as they exit from a rotary parlour, we would yolk up 10-20 cows & test them whilst another batch are being yoked up in an adjoining pen, keep on swapping pens. Some people say herringbone races don't work with a rotary?

Forget the herringbone race, we’ve got a rotary and the cows hate it, the quickest way is through a crush, straight out of the exit race into an s bend race and a hydraulic or air operated squeeze crush with sliding doors so the next cow is always waiting, adds an hour onto our milking but we can do 650 at morning milking like that. Key is a couple men moving cows down the race but they do tend to follow each other

 

[PREES]

Forget the herringbone race, we’ve got a rotary and the cows hate it, the quickest way is through a crush, straight out of the exit race into an s bend race and a hydraulic or air operated squeeze crush with sliding doors so the next cow is always waiting,

Is this what you have? Do you have any pics or drawings you could share?

 

[Jamer]

Forget the herringbone race, we’ve got a rotary and the cows hate it, the quickest way is through a crush, straight out of the exit race into an s bend race and a hydraulic or air operated squeeze crush with sliding doors so the next cow is always waiting, adds an hour onto our milking but we can do 650 at morning milking like that. Key is a couple men moving cows down the race but they do tend to follow each other

Funny you should write this; I have been trying to figure out how to shoehorn a herringbone race in for several years, as it is conceived wisdom to do so, whilst several good vets whose opinion and experience I value are less enthusiastic. They tend to favour a good race and yoke set up.

What's your set up for ai and such @Grassman247 , or do you use the same race for everything?

To add; I watched strong, market bought stores run through a hydraulic squeeze crush the day after arriving on farm recently and was amazed how quiet and well run the system was. The owner said they don't even yoke for tb testing, just squeeze.

 

[organicguy]

We have race and crush on end to hold 6/7 cows. Don't yoke unless you have a stroppy one. The essential part is to be able to access both sides of the race to push heads across.
have herringbone race for AI but vet prefers to PD in crush as square on access is better for his body!

 

[Grassman247]

Funny you should write this; I have been trying to figure out how to shoehorn a herringbone race in for several years, as it is conceived wisdom to do so, whilst several good vets whose opinion and experience I value are less enthusiastic. They tend to favour a good race and yoke set up.

What's your set up for ai and such @Grassman247 , or do you use the same race for everything?

To add; I watched strong, market bought stores run through a hydraulic squeeze crush the day after arriving on farm recently and was amazed how quiet and well run the system was. The owner said they don't even yoke for tb testing, just squeeze.

After 10 years of 2 different herringbone races we gave up and built this instead

TB testing and scanning will be done through race and squeeze crush, currently under construction. We have a small race and hydraulic crush for foot trimming aswell

I have to say it’s now a pleasure to Ai cows there so quiet in this setup. Our contractor built this last winter in there shed, IAE make some but we built these for a third of the price

 

[Grassman247]

Is this what you have? Do you have any pics or drawings you could share?

I’ve got a drawing somewhere I’ll try and find it for you

 

[som farmer]

we have a small 'forcing' pen, with a 20 ft race, works well, both vet and AI technician, say its great, and don't change it. We use it for everything, worming y/s, feet, AI vet, the cattle are used to it, and follow through pretty well. To improve it, I would build a circular forcing pen, and sheet the race sides, but, as it is, not worried, AI man and Vet like it, so good enough.