Loading Cattle How Easy Is It For You?

[ISCO]

A lot of the American loading set ups seem to load cattle single file, you don’t see floats there with a big drop down back door.

cattle run through our single file chute into the crush really well, I often think a single file race running off the chute and up to a wagon would work well and load quickly.

We load ours single file up a race which works very well. They come out the race and they are on the back door and in.

 

[Hilly]

I just load mine in a loading bay bit like what marts have they load no bother can load an artic in twenty mins

 

[JP1]

I just load mine in a loading bay bit like what marts have they load no bother can load an artic in twenty mins View attachment 1049400

Good preparation, crash barrier sides, I know you've a backing gate behind that photo shot. Just let them look for a wee while and they'll load

 

[Hilly]

Good preparation, crash barrier sides, I know you've a backing gate behind that photo shot. Just let them look for a wee while and they'll load

Just shut them in tight amd give them five mins , most time they straight in , sold 6 cows today and time i ran them up the race to check numbers the last cow out the race her mayes were standing in the wagon waitimg
On her .

 

[Dead Rabbits]

We have zero loading facilities for ground load. Just back up to a 30 foot gate Behind the holding pen and haze them in. I have a dog.

For loading pots or double deckers we have a dock, so no ramp necessary. But again it’s a 30ft gate in a square pen, not fancy. Works really well. 2 people can sort and load 42 in 20 minutes.

Big difference I see between the UK and US is the ramps on ground load trailers. Cattle hate smooth ramps. Cows can not judge distance with a ramp and prefer steps. Small calves like them but they would just as easily jump 12 inches. I’m sure cattle regularly moved get used to it. What is the point of these ramps?

 

[michael N123]

Single file round a corner straight out a small pen

I can load my mental limmy stores easily by myself

 

[unlacedgecko]

We have zero loading facilities for ground load. Just back up to a 30 foot gate Behind the holding pen and haze them in. I have a dog.

For loading pots or double deckers we have a dock, so no ramp necessary. But again it’s a 30ft gate in a square pen, not fancy. Works really well. 2 people can sort and load 42 in 20 minutes.

Big difference I see between the UK and US is the ramps on ground load trailers. Cattle hate smooth ramps. Cows can not judge distance with a ramp and prefer steps. Small calves like them but they would just as easily jump 12 inches. I’m sure cattle regularly moved get used to it. What is the point of these ramps?

I've seen some really impressive videos on YouTube. Satus stockdogs and Knight border collies.

 

[Dead Rabbits]

I've seen some really impressive videos on YouTube. Satus stockdogs and Knight border collies.

We aren’t on that level. Pup just turned 1 and is a loose eye. Need a soft dog on the dairy that hates bulls.

 

[Willie adie]

I was witness to the worst instance of loading livestock one morning whilst working at a mart,
There was bulls being loaded onto a float two charolais and an an Angus , they were all to be loaded into the same section,
The two charolais were loaded and then they tried the Angus , it went on the float then we heard a bellowing as the Angus ran out, obviously it had had a thump from the charolais,
Now this Angus was then skelped relentlessly by two floaters whilst a number of us yardsmen looked on and I hasten to add included in our group two mart animal welfare officers,
It went on numerous time and gave a bellow and ran back out this went on for at least 10mins eventually the Angus bull went down on the ramp of the float and I thought it was dead , it was at that point one of the animal welfare officers went in and him.and the floaters decided to leave the bull and take it later, now that bull must have been in some state, between it's lashing from pipe and sticks and a battering by the bulls, for what turned out to be no reason
I often think back and am ashamed that I didn't step in or say something, but the bullying, and intimidating, culture, there and the lack of respect and ignorance was another factor that stopped others stepping in , plus most importantly there had been a backhander dished out for the bulls to be moved first thing,

 

[Gulli]

We load ours single file up a race which works very well. They come out the race and they are on the back door and in.

Same here although it needs a bit of work as the odd one will stop and turn around, some.lorry ramps are pretty steep which doesn't help at all, be better running them up a ramp into a single file door like the kiwis do.

 

[steveR]

I hate loading cattle out of market into a cattle trailer. Sheep always run fine but cattle don't like the downhill bit and it always feels like they are a gate or two short

Shrewsbury LA is particularly bad for this I have found.

The downhill ramps are really dreadful. However, there were a number of foul-ups in the design and build of the place IMO...