Handling of cattle is not always easy, or totally safe, depending on personal skills and the right kind of equipment. Early in the Texas Longhorn business it was a rope and throw down for all branding. Later people designed their own squeeze chutes, panels and built their own trailers. In order to provide some safety ideas for cattle handling, look closely at these photos. Compare your equipment with these photos. It is about safety not only for people but cattle.
At DCC we started AI-ing in 1973. This was our wooden, behind the gate squeeze.
The first registered AI cattle in the industry were a result of this chute.
At this time it was up to each one to design their own system which is still done today.
About 1979 Powder River designed the Classic Texas Longhorn chute. They came up with the most innovative idea ever -- the horizontal side panels. This allowed wide horned cattle to move freely without obstruction into the head squeeze. There were only 2 vertical horizontal horn traps right before the head gate. The industry had never seen anything but vertical bars.
In 1979 Dickinson Cattle Co designed the first side squeeze just for wide horns.
This side squeeze was the first design for many imitations that came later. Over 1000 embryo calves were conceived in this chute totally free of vertical parallels.
During this period, before and after, chute manufacturers continued to build heavy costly squeezes with horn and leg breaking vertical horizontal traps. This expensive chute has 24 horn traps and should never be used for horned cattle.
This chute has 34 vertical parallel horn breaking traps and costs even more $$.
Although over 98% of all squeeze chutes are designed with vertical parallels this is the most risky for broken needles, and hands, when cattle jump forward or back. There is no place for vertical parallels in horned cattle equipment. If verticals are used they should be spaced much wider than this example.
When palpating or inseminating cows the area should always be open below the vulva. Cows when entered will resist, lay down in the chute, squat and have been known to break instruments and make some serious damage to the palpator's arm. The design of the horizontal pipe in this illustration is too high.
This is a BRY CHUTE designed and manufactured by DCC Equipment. All of the above mentioned design flaws have been eliminated in the BRY. It is the safest for cattle and people and also the most economical of all the chutes pictured, except the wooden ones.
Drop out bars for branding space, or spaces designed wide enough to brand between the horizontal bars. This is a must. Be safe, be sure. This is the BRY.
https://rumble.com/voiiqh-cattle-corral-designs-for-efficiency-safety-and-economy.html
DCC Equipment, Barnesville, Ohio, 740 758 5050 or info@brychute.com
