Width of race to crush - What works best?

Saffy · Post by **Saffy** » Wed Apr 21, 2010 8:20 am

We have been using a Dexter/Yearling Crush for our Dexters ever since we bought them and are at last getting around to building a proper race and penning sytsem.

What width of race works best? We don't want them to be able to turn around but also don't want them to refuse to go down it.

The end of the race nearest the crush will be fixed but the other end has a 9 feet gate that sweeps around from behind, so it is flat against the one wall when they walk in, can then be fixed to form a square pen, brought right around to make a longer race or even form a slight V for a heavily pregnant Dexter.

So how wide should the race be? I am assumimg just a little wider than the crush but how much?

Stephanie

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Wed Apr 21, 2010 11:21 am

Our race is 30' long, plus crush. It's a standard IAE set of parts.

The race is 740mm internal width for all that length including the sliding gate etc.

The crush is a constant 690mm.

Just before the crush, there are two round steel posts which are just 625mm width apart internally, but that doesn't seem to be a problem, in fact I didn't realise that until I just measured it!

Everything fits through this system including our AA bull. The tightest thing of all we have would be a Dexter late in pregnancy, and that is a squeeze which we avoid if possible.

Calves will always turn round so I tend to get in with them. They stop being able to turn around at about 8-12 months of age.

The yoke on the crush will hold anything once it's around 100kg+, no matter how tall or short. So although we have one of the small IAE calf crates, it virtually never gets used, not even for dis-budding any more. The vet will castrate in the full-size crush at 1-3 months old.

Edited By Broomcroft on 1271845523

Saffy · Post by **Saffy** » Wed Apr 21, 2010 12:10 pm

Thanks Clive, very useful.

This is a very rough drawing of our intended penning and race - if anyone can see any obvious errors please let us know as it would be really annoying to spend lots of money and time and it not work!

I have written that the one pen will be 18 feet but actually it will be a bit bigger.

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Wed Apr 21, 2010 1:06 pm

We have a gate at the start of the race where they enter, then a sliding gate to stop the going backwards about half way along, then at the end, about 3' before the back of the crush, another little gate so we can close off the race and the vet can get in behind the animal that is locked in the crush. I have a technical drawing somewhere done by IAE for us, which I'll post to you Stephanie. It's sort of similar to your setup, animals along the side in pens and then sweep round the back to enter the race and end up where they started.

wagra dexters · Post by **wagra dexters** » Fri Apr 23, 2010 4:18 am

Stephanie, you probably have done, but if not, draw your gates, race & crush on the ground in the allocated space and just put the cow's mind in your head. Feel your way through the required pattern of movement a few times and you will soon realise the strengths and weaknesses of any design. We have wings in both sets of yards which work well.

For anyone buying a new crush, being able to get from one side to the other passing directly behind the cow is a huge bonus. Some crushes only have the divided access gates behind from the near side, without the opposite side having a man-gate. Not ideal.

Margaret

Saffy · Post by **Saffy** » Tue Apr 27, 2010 9:40 am

Well we made our race and used it yesterday for TB testing, PDing, blood testing etc. Our vet beamed when he saw it!

Here are a few pics.

In this one the nearest gate which swings through 180 degrees is fully opened back onto the side of the race ready to let them in.

In this one it is shut across to make a pen.

In this one below it has been bolted into the back wall of the handling system to add to the length of the race. I asked for this bit to be slightly wider, to accomodate a heavily in calf cow, we have a short gate to put in front if needed and we would open the gate and take her back out the way she came.

The last image is a small door we installed in the side of the race so the vet or anyone else can get behind the animal. It is the same width as the race, so it bolts across the race preventing the next animal from squashing the person attending to the cow.

There is plenty of space this side to work away from the cattle and a pen built the other side of the crush for working in safety from the animals and to keep thier noses away from the equipment.

I just hope they pass the TB test now!

Stephanie

bjreroberts · Post by **bjreroberts** » Tue Apr 27, 2010 11:26 am

Thank you to Saffy and the other contributors for this topic. I will find this extremely useful when constructing mine.

Have you thought about submitting it for publication in the next bulletin?

Saffy · Post by **Saffy** » Tue Apr 27, 2010 11:53 am

That is an idea Ben. We could right up all the measurements as well. The vet has asked for photographs for his website - a hint for other customers maybe? :;):

As you aren't that far away Ben, you are welcome to come and see it if you like.

Stephanie

Minnie · Post by **Minnie** » Tue Apr 27, 2010 10:51 pm

Hi Stephanie,

I love your yards and the photos are great!

We also will have to build yards in the near future and will use your photos as a guide... they're just what I had in my mind but couldn't get hubby to see in my mind. :laugh:

Thank you for putting them up, very helpful.
:D
Vicki

Colin · Post by **Colin** » Thu Apr 29, 2010 9:28 am

Stephanie,

This is really interesting and generating a number of ideas. Any chance of seeing the gate arrangement in more detail at the other end of the crush ?

Regards,

Colin

Saffy · Post by **Saffy** » Thu Apr 29, 2010 9:57 am

Here is the other end of the handling system Colin.

It is positioned in such a way that in the winter they can come out of the shed door and into the first pen. We can also open the door to the shed when we bring them in from the field, it seems to help.

The 9 foot gate nearest the green building swing through 180 degrees.

Colin · Post by **Colin** » Fri Apr 30, 2010 8:42 pm

Great, thanks Stephanie. I'm certainly impressed with your design. Very clever and well thought through. It's given me a few ideas.

Many thanks,

Colin

Saffy · Post by **Saffy** » Sun May 02, 2010 9:20 am

Here it is in use, a few Dexters give a bit of perspective.

We are very pleased with it. At the moment we have an animal that needs a daily injection, so they all walk through with no fuss and we stop the one we need, jab it and the rest walk through and out. :D

Stephanie