Cattle Working Facility Design

Cattle working facilities are a key part of a successful cattle operation. Depending on the size of the ranch as well as the herd size, the cattle working facilities have different requirements on design and size. Any design of these facilities should keep in mind performance, cattle and processing time, and safety, of cattle and handlers. Performance is a huge aspect of working facilities so that the cattle remain at opportune health before and after processing. We have written many blogs over our low-stress handling practices and why it has proven extremely beneficial to our herd. The lower stress that the cattle are under in all points of an operation, the higher production of gain per day as well as efficiency in feeding and calving that a herd is able to maintain. When we place unnecessary stress on our livestock, it causes a loss of weight, appetite, and if done too frequently can lead to loss of health and fertility. Cattle also have long memories. When they are processed with efficiency and reduced stress, they will be more likely to cooperate the next time they are processed. If the facilities are not designed for stress relief, it will cause an increased amount of time needed to process cattle as well as increased safety hazards for the cattle and handlers. Working facilities therefore are a key operational design that should be taken with the utmost thought when re-designing or constructing. If you are building new working facilities, you should make sure that the location of the working pens is in the most convenient placing for moving your herd through. If you are able to place your facilities in a location where you can run multiple paddocks through, at different times, you should not see a flex in your cattle's weight as the stress of the herding is reduced. This will also allow you to avoid trucking your cattle for processing, also reducing stress. Here are some things to consider when constructing or adding to any working facilities:

1. Do you ever plan on using horses to help herd cattle through the pens?

If you think there is even a possibility of using this technique, you should examine the height of your allies and gates so that a horse can maneuver through the facility with ease.

2. How many head of cattle do you plan on processing at one time?

The typical standard of a cattle working facility is 20 Sq. Feet per cow and 35 Sq. Feet per pair. This is for the gathering pens. This allows you to hold the cows and sort off before entering the chute or the alley. Building by these dimensions also allows your cattle to have plenty of space to move in the direction that you are pushing. When determining your facility size, it is also best practice to set a realistic standard of how many head you plan to process through at one time. This number will help you determine the size of your pens as well as the number of pens that your operation needs.

3. Would you like to sort before, after the chute or a combination of both?

Our facility has two gathering pens, which allows us to sort the calves off the cows and process separately. We use this design to increase the safety of our handlers and reduce the stress of processing. After the chute we also have four sorting pens, which increases the efficiency of us herding back to the pastures or loading onto semis for shipment of cattle to feedlots or slaughter. In any design it is optimal to have both holding pens, or gathering pens, and sorting pens. Allies should be wide when herding the cattle into the gathering pens so that the cattle feel less stress to follow your direction. However, the allies to the chute should be narrow so the cattle have less opportunity to hurt themselves while being pushed to the chute.

4. How wide should my allies be in comparison to my gates?

The efficient width of your allies and gates would be where they match up. The entries to your pens should be the same width of your allies. This will allow you to safely sort the cattle from the alley way into the desired pen allowing you to lock the gate at the alley or lock the gate at the pen. Gates should also always be in a easy viewed location for the cattle to know in which direction they should move. When cattle are able to see the exit of the pen or alley as they enter it will also help maintain the safety of the cattle as well as the handlers during processing and/or sorting. Another aspect to keep in mind is that the pushing allies should be narrow enough where the cattle cannot turn around (dangerous for cattle and handlers), but should be wide enough at angles where the cattle are not having to take very sharp turns. There should be a natural flow to your allies and pens so that you can increase the efficiency of the time that it takes you to process the cattle and reduce the number of laps the cattle have to make throughout the entire processing procedure.

These are only a few things that a cattleman should consider when constructing or redesigning any working facilities. It is also important to keep your goals in mind for the size of your facilities. If your goals are to increase the size of your herd, you may need to build according to that instead of current needs. If you plan is to reduce the size of your herd, that may need to be the basis of any facility designs.