Low-Cost Livestock Squeeze Chute

Low-Cost Livestock Squeeze Chute LIVESTOCK Handling Our new Bry livestock squeeze chute is the most economical on the market It s also the quietest and the safest for handling horned or poled cattle says Darol Dickinson DCCI Equipment Barnesville Ohio
Dickinson says the chute is designed for entry level operators who want a lower cost chute for palpation artificial semination branding tattooing and pour-on medicinal treatment of animals
The chute is made from 12-ga steel tubing and attaches to an existing corral system or barn that will provide an alley to direct animals into the chute The chute is suspended 8 to 11 in above the ground It comes with a front base that attaches with six 10-in long bolts; a back wall gate; and a front squeeze gate A tail rope and a head rope if desired are used to secure the animal Side bars open up for branding on rib or hips The entire chute can be dismantled in minutes     
The chute has no headgate Instead you secure the animal by closing a squeeze gate and hold it in place with a nylon tail rope
Three adjustments provide for width changes and two swing-out side bars provide access for milking or branding The chute folds open against the corral fence when not in service
It s designed for longhorned cattle but works equally well on poled cattle and on horses and llamas It s designed for people who have only a few animals We came up with the idea because we ve spent 42 years experimenting with squeeze chutes to make them easier to use When you use a tool that many years you can identify ways to make it work more easily and efficiently says Dickinson
Most other squeeze chutes on the market are designed by welders and marketing people not by people with cattle They keep offering the same old stuff year after year so nothing changes but the cost Our low-cost chute can be used a lot of different ways and it works efficiently without needing hydraulics or electricity
Here are some of those features:
• Low-cost - The chute sells for $1 250 plus S&H A lot of livestock squeeze chutes are hydraulically-operated and sell for $3 000 to $6 000 or more which is too much for small operations that have only a few cattle Our chute weighs only 425 lbs so it can be shipped FedEx anywhere in the U S for $250 compared to $800 to $1 200 for conventional chutes
• Virtually rust-proof - The chute mounts 8 in above ground which reduces rusting and extends useful life All other chutes are designed to set on the ground so you have to build a cement apron to keep them out of the mud Without a cement apron you have to turn the chute upside down after a few years and scrape the rust off and apply rust proofing It s a job few people ever take the time to do says Dickinson Another benefit is that when cattle stand on solid ground it reduces their anxiety
Cattle don t like to be handled by chutes with headgates and tailgates that bang or clank as they open or close and make a lot of noise Our chute doesn t have a headgate or a tailgate so there is no noise And there s no danger of the animal escaping before you can get the headgate closed
• Safety - The chute s sides feature a horizontal parallel design that greatly reduces injuries says Dickinson Vertical parallel bars can cause all kinds of injuries to cattle If the animal gets its leg between the bar and moves forward or backward it can break its leg But if the animal puts its leg between horizontal bars and moves forward or backward it can pull its leg out The horizontal bars also allow horns to go through the sides without getting hung up on the openings
• Easy transport - By pulling two pins the chute can be collapsed into a 9-ft long by 5-ft high by 8-in wide unit that can be put in back of a pickup or strapped to the side of a cattle trailer The entire chute weighs only 425 lbs and when you break it down into components two people can easily move it
Conventional squeeze chutes weigh 1 300 to 2 000 lbs and are so big you can t fit them into a livestock trailer Instead you have to haul them on a flatbed truck or trailer
•Adjustability - The chute is designed with three adjustments for calves cows and the largest bulls The adjustments can be moved back and forth using a full length adjustment pin
The tail rope is secured to a welded-on keeper that prevents the rope from sliding back when the animal wants to back up in the chute The rope can be adjusted up or down for different size animals
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Darol Dickinson 35000 Muskrat Barnesville Ohio 43713 ph 740 758-5050; darol@texaslonghorn com; www texaslonghorn com/bry

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.